Winter to be severe this year in Andhra Pradesh

Vishakapatnam: People of Andhra Pradesh will have to pull out warm clothes from their cupboards and keep them ready for use from next month onwards, with severe cold having been forecast during the forthcoming winter.

According to IMD, Amaravati, minimum temperature will fall below normal in many parts of the state from second week of November. Scientists attribute this climate change that has been leading to extreme weather conditions. Southwest monsoon, which withdrew two days ago, had been prolonged. This has increased the moisture levels in the atmosphere, apart from greenery, and brought down day temperatures.

“The entire season may not be cold. But people might experience frequent spells of extreme fall in night temperature, particularly in agency tracts of ASR district, Chittoor district and some parts of north coastal Andhra,” said senior scientist at IMD Dr. K. Karunasagar.

He said towns and villages along the coast could be spared from the cold spell, as the sea absorbs and discharges heat slowly, unlike earth.

Indications of low temperatures are already there in ASR district. Chintapalli recorded 14.5 degrees on Tuesday.

“We had a good monsoon and minimum temperature might come down to 1 degree Celsius from December second week onwards to end of the year,” said director of Regional Agriculture Research Centre Dr. K. Suresh Kumar.

The entire agency area is being enveloped by thick fog till 10 a.m. in the morning, making it difficult for motorists to drive on ghat roads. Cold weather throws normal life out of gear. It leads to illness among Adivasis, particularly the aged and children.

“Mostly, asthma and pneumonia cases are reported from interior villages. But not many come to hospitals for treatment. Even if they visit the primary health centre, all cases are registered as common respiratory diseases,” said deputy DMHO Dr. P. Leela Prasad.

Tour operators are in high spirits though, as harsh cold conditions bring more tourists to agency areas of Araku Valley, Lambasingi and Ananthagiri. More than 10,000 tourists have visited Araku Valley during the last two days, as per ticket sales at the Borra Caves.