Cyclone Amphan: Mercury levels to rise by 2°C in AP

Visakhapatnam: Maximum temperatures in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are likely to go up this week on account of Cyclone Amphan, which is currently active and moving towards the coast between West Bengal and Bangladesh at a speed between three to five kilometres per hour (kmph).

Temperatures may rise after weakening of the cyclone after it makes landfall between Sagar Islands in West Bengal and Hatiya Islands in Bangladesh on May 20.

Amphan, which is the first cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal this pre-monsoon season, may cause a rise in temperatures by one or two degrees Celsius across the two Telugu-speaking states, said K Naga Ratna, director, India Meteorological Department (IMD), Hyderabad centre.

In the last 24 hours since Sunday, Andhra Pradesh registered a maximum temperature of over 40°Celsius at six places. Kamalapuram in Kadapa district registered a maximum temperature of 42°Celsius.

Similarly, Adilabad, Mancherial, Nirmal, Jagtial, Peddapalli, Karimnagar, Jayashankar, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Khammam, Suryapet and Nalgonda districts in Telangana reported temperatures of over 41°C while Chelpur in Jayashankar district registered a maximum temperature of 43°C on Sunday.

Naga Ratna attributed the rise in temperature to evaporation of moisture in the atmosphere due to formation of the cyclone. Cyclones gather moisture content from their surroundings and grow in intensity.

“With the evaporation of moisture content, atmosphere over the land becomes dry, resulting in increasing temperature levels. Most parts of the two states will become hotter in the days ahead,” Naga Ratna said.