A severe heatwave is set to grip 58 mandals across Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday, with temperatures already soaring past 42°C in some areas, the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) warned.
“Out of the 58 mandals, 13 are from Srikakulam district, followed by Vizianagaram district (18), and Parvathipuram Manyam district (14), which are likely to experience heat wave conditions,” APSDMA Managing Director R Kurmanadh said in a statement.
The heatwave will also affect three mandals in Alluri Sitaramaraju district, two in Kakinada district, seven in East Godavari district, and one in Eluru district, he added.
The APSDMA recorded extreme temperatures in several parts of the state on Tuesday, with Pedda Devalapuram village in Nandyala district hitting a scorching 42.7 degrees Celsius — the highest in the state. Ulindakonda village in Kurnool followed closely at 42.6 degrees Celsius, while Khajipet in Kadapa district recorded 41.8 degrees Celsius. Other areas such as Darimadugu in Prakasam district (41.5°C) and Nagasamudram in Anantapur and Wattalur in Annamayya district (41°C) also faced intense heat.
Meanwhile, relief may be on the way for Odisha, where the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast rain and thunderstorms over the next few days. Boudh was the hottest place in Odisha in the past 24 hours, recording 43.6 degrees Celsius, followed by Bolangir (40.4°C), Jharsuguda (39.8°C), Sambalpur (39.7°C), and Hirakud (39.1°C).
Bhubaneswar recorded a maximum of 34.6 degrees Celsius, while Cuttack stood at 34 degrees Celsius. The IMD predicted thunderstorms, lightning, and hail starting Wednesday, with light rain or thundershowers expected in Bhadrak, Kendrapada, Balasore, Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur, and Cuttack.
An orange alert has been issued for Balasore, Bhadrak, Keonjhargarh, Mayurbhanj, and Kendrapada for March 20, while a yellow alert is in place for Sundargarh, Jajpur, Dhenkanal, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Sonepur, Boudh, Angul, and Deogarh on March 21.