Monsoon nears TS border, to hit state on Thursday

HYDERABAD: Monsoon is set to hit Telangana by Thursday, with the ongoing heatwave set to continue till Wednesday, officials of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday.

Officials said that the monsoon has resumed its journey and that the stifling heat will also begin to ebb, thereby marking the end of one of the longest summers in recent years.

An official said that the monsoon has currently advanced to Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, indicating it will reach Telangana in the next two to three days.

“As per the advancement of the southwest monsoon map by the IMD, gradual entry of southwest monsoon in the state is expected in the next three days as the lines showing the actual status of the monsoon indicated that as of Monday, the monsoon was just near the southernmost border of Telangana, along the line dividing Jogulamba-Gadwal district,” the IMD said.

However, there will be little relief from heat till rains hit the state.

On Monday, Telangana recorded a maximum temperature of 44.2 degrees Celsius (°C), at Suryapet, which was followed by Bhadradri-Kothagudem and Peddapalli, each recording 43.8°C, and Komaram Bheem Asifabad, which clocked 43.6°C, according to the TS Development and Planning Society report.

Severe heatwave conditions were recorded in eight districts — Bhadradri Kothagudem, Jayashankar Bhupalapalli, Komaram Bheem Asifabad, Mancherial, Mulugu, Peddapalli, Rajanna Sircilla and Suryapet — while heatwave conditions were recorded in four districts, namely Karimnagar, Khammam, Nalgonda and Nirmal.

Hyderabad recorded a maximum temperature of 39.8°C, at Bahadurpura.

For the next five days, light to moderate rains or thundershowers accompanied by lightning are very likely at isolated places of the state, with a yellow alert also issued in this regard.