Vijayawada sizzles at 47º C

Heat wave forces people to stay indoors; roads wear a deserted look

May 25, 2013 03:37 pm | Updated November 28, 2021 09:11 pm IST - VIJAYAWADA

Three youths riding a bike cover their faces to avoid sunstroke in Vijayawada. Photo: V. Raju

Three youths riding a bike cover their faces to avoid sunstroke in Vijayawada. Photo: V. Raju

Summer has set in with its usual severity. It’s hard not to complain about the heat when the mercury shoots up to as high as 47º Celsius. You heard it right. Vijayawada city and its suburbs like Bhavanipuram, Kunchanapalle and Kolanukonda sizzled at 47º Celsius at 3 p.m. on Friday, according to the recordings of The Weather Channel, Weather Underground and AccuWeather.

The day started with a recorded temperature of 37º Celsius at 10 a.m. but soon the mercury shot up touching a new high of 47º Celsius by 3 p.m. The temperature gradually dropped to 45º Celsius by 5 p.m. “We have come to a point where summer doesn’t just swelter but it looks like its powerful enough to melt buildings, wilt skyscrapers and cause mass emotional chaos,” says Karthik, a youngster who ventured out in the afternoon for unavoidable reasons. Using a handkerchief to cover his face in a feeble attempt to avoid heat stroke, the youngster kept mumbling about the hot weather. For last one week, each day, the rising sun has been igniting a surge of manic hysteria. This prolonged period of excessively hot weather, accompanied by high humidity, has made people restless.

All records of the ongoing summer have been surpassed this week as temperatures left people parched and the city sidewalks sizzling.

The mugginess fuelled by oppressive heat and gusting winds has forced most people to stay indoors. The city roads, otherwise bustling with activity, wear a deserted look. The few souls moving on the road bear the brunt of the orb of fire.“The heat is driving me crazy. Looks like it could fry even a person’s soul…anything exposed to the relentless sun,” says Tejasree, a harried teenager. No matter what the locale, the objective of every individual is the same- stay cool.

Three die in Guntur

The intense heat wave that is sweeping the State claimed three lives in the district on Friday. The deceased were identified as P. Srisailam (65) of Sankuratrivada village in Nadendla mandal, Tirupataiah (70) of Pulladigunta village in Vatticherukuru mandal and P. Malakondaiah (75) of Chennayapalem village in Piduguralla mandal.

Temperatures ranged from 41 to 45º Celsius at most places while Rentachintala continued to be the hottest place where the mercury hovered at 47º Celsius .

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.