The city has turned virtual icebox with continuing frosty weather, thanks to the Cyclone Phethai that has hit the Coastal Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday.
People hankered after any semblance of shelter, even if it were the air conditioned chambers or Metro Rail coaches, as chilly winds flogged their faces mercilessly.
There was no trace of Sun throughout the day, and sporadic drizzles only added bite to the wind, making lives miserable outdoors. Senior citizens and infants suffered the most, and asthmatics had the worst time ever in the season.
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With a nine degrees Celsius difference between the average and actual maximum temperatures for the month, day time was worse than night for the city dwellers.
All over the state, maximum temperatures fell by 8 to 10 degrees, while in the city, it plummeted by close to nine degrees. Day time maximum temperature was 19.8 degrees Celsius in the city, against the average maximum of 28.7 degrees around the same time. It fell to 15.8 degrees during night.
At Ramagundam, the temperature was 22.2 degrees against the normal of 30.2 degrees. At Nizamabad, it was 19.9 degrees against the normal 30.1 degrees, and at Hanamkonda, the maximum recorded was 20.8 degrees, down from the normal of 29.8 degrees.
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Meteorology department has predicted improvement in day time temperatures to 25 degrees Celsius, though the nightly minimum is expected to drop further to 14 degrees. Generally cloudy sky with occasional drizzle is to be expected, and the Sun would make an appearance.
Officials from the Met department attributed the unusually frosty weather to the cyclone impact, worsened by the chilly Northern winds.
“With the cyclone system shifting to West Bengal and North Odisha, upper air circulation has been formed up to Rayalaseema, resulting in a trough at 0.9 kilometres altitude. Coupled with Northern winds and overcast sky, it has created extremely cold conditions in the state,” said an official from the department.
(EOM)