VIJAYAWADA: Many parts in the state have been reeling under a heatwave with the mercury crossing 40 degrees Celsius-mark. The situation will continue for the next couple of days, according to weather experts. In a press statement issued here on Thursday, State Disaster Management commissioner K Kanna Babu said extreme heatwave prevailed in 113 mandals in Guntur (29), Krishna (27), Vizianagaram (19) and Visakhapatnam (10) districts ; 217 other mandals also experienced severe heat.
On Friday, as many as 148 mandals in Guntur (33), Krishna (24), West Godavari (18), Vizianagaram (18), East Godavari (16), Visakhapatnam (15) and Srikakulam (10) will experience severe heatwave, and 207 other mandals will experience heatwave conditions, the official informed.The commissioner said the district administrations had been alerted, and urged women, children and elderly persons to take precautionary measures by consuming more liquid, stay hydrated and stay indoors.
As per the readings taken by the Meteorological Centre (Hyderabad), the mercury levels in Tirupati touched 43 degrees Celsius in Tirupati, 42.8 degrees Celsius in Vijayawada, 42.4 degrees Celsius in Nellore, 42.3 degrees Celsius in Ongole, 41.5 degrees Celsius in Kurnool, 40.9 degrees Celsius in Anantapur, 37.5 degrees Celsius in Kakinada and 32 degrees Celsius in Visakhapatnam.
Vijayawada recorded 43 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, the hottest March day in the last 10 years, the Indian Meterological Department had said. In March 2020, the city recorded the highest 38.9 degrees Celsius.