Cyclonic storm brought some relief to the Gangetic plains as temperatures dipped in parts of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh but searing heat continued to make life difficult across Jharkhand, Gujarat, western Madhya Pradesh, Delhi-NCR and Rajastha
At a time when the entire north west and parts of north India are in a grip of intense heat wave, shattering records, coastal Andhra and Odisha are receiving heavy rainfall as cyclonic storm 'Roanu' has developed over Bay of Bengal. To illustrate the contrast in weather conditions; Phalodi in Jodhpur district recorded 51 degree Celsius on Thursday, which was the highest temperature ever recorded in the country even as parts of Andhra received more than 200mm of rainfall since Wednesday.
The cyclonic storm, 'Roanu' over west central Bay of Bengal remained practically stationary 80kms south-southeast of Machilipatnam. As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the cyclonic system will move along the Andhra coast and thereafter intensify into a severe cyclonic by Friday. It will not make a landfall on Indian coast and instead is likely to cross south Bangladesh coast on May 21, as a cyclonic storm.
"The storm will cause heavy to very heavy rainfall in coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh and later Odisha. It will cause wind speeds to reach a peak of 100 kms/hour while the squall winds are likely at a speed of 60-70 km/hour.
We are sending four warnings to district authorities per day, as there will be damage to power lines and huts," said YK Reddy, director, IMD, Hyderabad. Cyclonic storms are named using a list of names that are suggested by countries of SAARC group. According to Met officials, Roanu, or a 'rope' was suggested by Maldives.
The cyclonic storm brought some relief to the Gangetic plains as temperatures dipped in parts of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh but searing heat continued to make life difficult across Jharkhand, Gujarat, western Madhya Pradesh, Delhi-NCR and Rajasthan. All the major cities in Rajasthan recorded temperatures above 45 degree Celsius. Bikaner at 49.5 degree Celsius, Barmer at 49.9 degree Celsius and Ahmedabad at 48 degree Celsius recorded their all-time high temperatures.
"We can consider this as the peak of the heat wave as seen from the temperature in Phalodi, that saw the mercury shoot up to 51 degree Celsius. But, the moisture brought in by the cyclonic storm and easterly winds have marginally reduced temperatures and increased humidity at some places, including Delhi. In Rajasthan though, hot westerly winds have not abated and thus temperatures are have soared," said BP Yadav, director, National Weather Forecasting Centre, IMD Delhi.
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