Vishakapatnam: Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gale-like winds are likely for Andhra Pradesh on March 16 and 17 – Thursday and Friday. Unusual at this time of the year, these rains would bring down the temperature by two to three degree Celsius in many districts.
The temperature currently crossed 38 degree C in some parts of Andhra Pradesh, particularly the Rayalaseema area.
“We normally get pre-monsoon showers by the end of April and in May. The untimely rain may be due to the cyclonic upper air circulation,’’ said IMD scientist S. Karunasagar.
The weatherman predicted thunderstorms accompanied by lightning at isolated places over the north coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam and south coastal districts. Gusty winds with a speed of 30 to 40 kmph are likely at isolated places over coastal AP and Rayalaseema districts on March 16.
The weather office predicted: "Heavy rain is likely at isolated places over south coastal Andhra Pradesh. Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning are likely at isolated places over coastal Andhra Pradesh. Gusty winds with a speed of 30-40 kmph are likely at isolated places over the coastal districts and the Rayalaseema region on March 17."
“Twin cyclonic circulations are likely over East Madhya Pradesh and over Telangana and adjoining north Andhra Pradesh. A trough is likely to form between these two systems, which would become more marked due to moisture feed from Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. All these systems will jointly lead to intense weather activity over the southern districts from March 13 to 18. Rainfall activity will reduce from March 18.”
The unseasonal rains may cause damage to the mango and cashew crops in coastal Andhra Pradesh. Mango farmers are expecting a good crop this year, agriculture sector analysts said.
