Upper Air Circulation System To Bring Rain
The south-west monsoon reached the state on May 26, which was nine days ahead of its usual June 4 onset.
Visakhapatnam: An upper air cyclonic circulation over west-central and north-west Bay of Bengal off north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coasts may re-activate the south-west monsoon which has slowed down.
Director of Meteorological Centre, Amaravati, S Stella said the system was expected to deliver light to moderate rainfall in parts of north coastal Andhra Pradesh in the next three days and thunderstorm activity may also occur in portions of south coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema during the period. Isolated heavy rainfall is likely in north Andhra Pradesh on June 27 and 28, she added.
Andhra Pradesh, after registering 148 per cent excess rainfall in May, is currently facing a 35 per cent rainfall deficit in June. The south-west monsoon reached the state on May 26, which was nine days ahead of its usual June 4 onset. This prolonged dry spell this month has alarmed farmers.
Data from the Meteorological Centre, Amaravati, indicates that Andhra Pradesh received 44.7 mm rainfall between June 1 and June 22, compared to the average normal of 68.5 mm. Only three districts—East Godavari, Krishna and Anantapur—reported normal to above normal rainfall, while the other 23 districts are experiencing deficit to normal rainfall.
Alluri Sitharama Raju, Guntur, NTR, Annamayya, and YSR Kadapa districts recorded over 60 per cent deficit rainfall during this span.
Due to limited irrigation, nearly 50 per cent of farmers in Andhra Pradesh are dependent on rainfall. Many farmers are unable to start sowing for Kharif.