Moderate rain gives relief from scorching heat in southern AP areas

 TIRUPATI: Moderate rainfall accompanied by gusty winds brought the much-needed relief to the people from the scorching heat in parts of Nellore, Tirupati, Chittoor and Annamaiah districts on Tuesday afternoon.

Mercury was hovering around 40-44 degree Celsius over the past few days, majorly straining life in the region.

Rain and thunderstorms were reported from Nellore city and the upland mandals of the district. However, the strong gales uprooted trees and electric poles, resulting in disruption of power supply in the city and several villages across the district.

The impact of the winds was majorly evident at the Ramalayam temple in Narasimha Puram of Varikuntapadu. The Dwajasthambham there fell down in the impact of the winds.

Several areas experienced significant amounts of rainfall. Kondapuram and Nellore Rural in Nellore district, Venkatagiri in Tirupati district, Madanapalle and PTM mandals in Annamaiah district, as well as Sodam mandal in Chittoor district recorded 3cm of rainfall.

Kalikiri, Galiveedu, Pileru and Mulakalacheruvu mandals in Annamaiah district, Udayagiri and Kandukur in Nellore district, Chowdepalli and Gangavaram mandals in Chittoor district and KVB Puram in Tirupati district received nearly 2cm of rainfall.

Locals expressed their relief at the arrival of showers. However, the heavy winds and resultant damage as also power failure dampened the spirits of many. Field staff started the works to restore power supply and clear the trees and branches that fell on roads or on electric lines.

The weather department forecasts partly cloudy skies with a possibility of isolated showers in the coming days. Hope is that the Monsoon showers are just a call away.