Low-pressure area over Bay likely to bring rain across State

VIJAYAWADA: A low-pressure area was formed over South Andaman Sea and adjoining the southeast Bay of Bengal on Friday morning and it is moving towards northwestwards.

The IMD warned that it will intensify into a depression on Saturday and intensify further into a cyclonic storm by Sunday and continue to move northwestwards. It is likely to reach Westcentral Bay of Bengal off north Andhra¬Odisha coasts by May 10. Under its influence, thunderstorms accompanied by lightning  likely at one or two places in north coastal districts and Rayalaseema on Saturday and in north coastal districts on Sunday. Light to moderate rains are likely in one or two places in all regions of the state on Saturday. 

Several places in the State received light to moderate rains on Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. Udayagiri in Nellore received the highest rainfall of 5.6 cm followed by Chilakaluripeta in Guntur with 5.5 cm and Rengunta in Tirupati district received 4.5 cm of rains. In the last 24 hours ending 8:30 am on Friday, heavy rains occurred in one or two places in the Vizianagaram region. Parvathipuram received 7 cm of rain, followed by 5 cm in  Baligipeta of Vizianagaram and Chodavaram in Anakapalle district. 

Meanwhile, the highest daytime temperature of 42.8 degree Celsius was recorded in Meliaputti of Srikakulam district between 8:30 a.m. on Thursday and 8:30 a.m. Friday. A total 119 places in the State reported a daytime temperature of more than 40 degrees during that period. According to APSDPS data, only one mandal in NTR district reported heatwave conditions on Friday. AP State Disaster Management department advised fishermen not to venture into the sea in view of cyclone warning.