Visakhapatnam receives moderate to heavy rainfall

Visakhapatnam received a short spell of moderate to heavy rainfall on Sunday, and it appeared to be the highest recorded in the day across Andhra Pradesh. Several low-lying areas, including part of KRM Colony under Ward 16 of Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) were inundated.

According to the Cyclone Warning Centre (CWC), 59.4 mm of rainfall was recorded in Waltair area till 5 p.m. on Sunday. Areas like Seethamadhara near KRM Colony received 34 mm of rainfall, while areas like Dharapalem received 20.5 mm of rainfall, according to the State government’s APSDPS rainfall data.

Chavulamadum also witnessed knee-deep water, which disrupted the traffic. Locals said that the railway bridge near the reservation counter of Visakhapatnam Junction railway station was filled with rainwater from storm waterdrains.

Meanwhile, private and government-authorised weather experts on several platforms including X opined that thundershowers will increase in many parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh from the night of July 16, indicating 90 per cent coverage across the state.

According to the assessment of the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Amaravati centre, the rainfall is a result of active southwest monsoon conditions. The upper cyclonic circulation over the northwest Bay of Bengal and north Odisha coast is located in the north Bay of Bengal and extends up to 5.8 km above sea level and is inclined towards the southwest with height. Under its influence, a low pressure area is likely to form over the northwest Bay of Bengal and the coasts of West Bengal and Odisha in the next 24 hours.

The IMD Amaravati Director said that low tropospheric winds blew from the west and northwest directions over Andhra Pradesh on Sunday. The IMD data also stated that Visakhapatnam only received the State’s highest rainfall of 59 mm on Sunday.