On the eve of Rohini Karthi, traditionally the hottest fortnight of the year, Visakhapatnam Airport on Sunday recorded 45 degree C, the highest temperature in three years. And the met forecast is that mercury levels are likely to soar in the first few days of Rohini and show a downward trend after May 31.
According to Prof. K.V.S.R. Prasad of the Department of Meteorology at Andhra University, Rohini Karthi usually begins in the third or last week of May and during its first few days the temperatures soar, but then start to decline.
Andhra Pradesh has been boiling for the last week or so mainly due to what is called in met circles as the western disturbance and a change in the wind direction in the last 24 hours, thereby explaining the sudden surge in temperatures in Visakhapatham.
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Since Sunday hot winds blowing into Andhra Pradesh have changed from a westerly to north-westerly direction. If this continues, the current heat wave is likely to continue for a few more days, possibly increasing in severity by a couple of degrees, a duty officer at the Cyclone Warning Centre here says.
The winds are currently blowing from land to land, and sea breezes are yet to set in. Once that happens, which is likely to happen by May 30 or 31, temperatures will gradually decrease and the monsoon will set in.
Tuni in East Godavari district reported the highest temperature -- 47.2 degree C -- in the State on Sunday.
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Temperature recordings at the Vizag airport showed a sudden spurt on Sunday over Saturday, rising eight degree above normal. Curiously, however, the temperature recorded at Waltair was much lower at 34.6 degree C. Visakhapatnam recorded its highest temperature of 45.4 degree C on June 9, 1995.
Apart from Visakhapatnam Airport and Tuni, temperatures crossed 40 degree Celsius in most places. Nandigama recorded 45.2, Machilipatnam 46.5, Tirupati 43.4, Kurnool 41.8, Anantapur 40.2, Nellore 42.6, Kakinada 46.7, Vijayawada (Gannavaram) 46, Bapatla 46.4, Ongole 44.4 and Narsapur 44.8.
Visakhapatnam recorded its highest temperature of
45.4 degree C
on June 9, 1995