TIRUPATI: The weatherman’s forecast that several parts of Rayalaseema region and coastal AP could get more rain in the next five days has left people of low-lying areas and farmers in the two regions worried on Wednesday. The warning came even as they were yet to come to terms with the havoc created by the eight-day (November 13-20) inclement weather.
Incessant heavy rains followed by floods in parts of four south coastal districts and four Rayalaseema districts battered these regions. Water-logging was reported from several areas in Chittoor, Kadapa and Anantapur districts, throwing life upside down.
Due to the inclement weather last week, as many as 1,402 villages and four towns were affected. Some 69,616 people took shelter in relief camps. About 40 persons died and 25 persons reported missing. Crops over 1.43 lakh hectares and horticulture crops on 42,299 hectares were damaged. Although the rain-affected eight districts had sunshine in the past four days, farmers and others in coastal AP and Seema were upset as IMD warned of more rainfall.
AP Weatherman Sai Praneeth from Tirupati cautioned the people that the low pressure formed over southwest Bay of Bengal on Wednesday and currently situated over south Sri Lanka will converge on south AP and this can cause very heavy rainfall between November 27 and December 2.
“This is a very rare system and the rain will be huge this time. In the next 24 hours, the low pressure will further strengthen and turn into a depression. This is not like the low pressure that had formed earlier this month. More of convergence could be seen this time. It will move towards north Sri Lanka as a strong low pressure and the convergence belt will fall in parts of south AP, which may witness widespread rains.” Praneeth explained.
He said the low pressure, which moved over Arabian Sea by this month end, will slowly pull the huge clouds near Andaman Islands and scatter them over the southern parts of AP. “In combination, these will result in severe rains in South AP till Dec. 2.”
“It will start raining in Nellore and Prakasam districts on Nov. 27. By the intervening night of Nov. 28 and 29, it will move into interior Rayalaseema. Extreme heavy rainfall will be recorded in Nellore and Prakasam, then in Chittoor and Kadapa districts between Nov. 28 to Dec. 2. This should be taken very seriously as we already have had the worst of floods,” he cautioned.
