Vizag expected to witness heat wave in first week of April

With temperatures rising by the day, Andhra Pradesh is bracing itself for a scorching summer. According to S Stella, Director, India Meteorological Department (IMD), Andhra Pradesh, Vizag is expected to face a heat wave in the first week of April, around 3 April 2021.

With time, heat waves have emerged as one of the major weather hazards in India. Stating the forecast for the coming weeks, Stella informed that most places in the state are expected to see a 1-2 degree increase in temperature. She also informed that a few pockets of the state, including the coastal region, are expected to witness a maximum of 3 degrees rise in temperature. While there are no serious heat wave threats for the month of March, temperatures are expected to touch 40 degrees in the first week of April. When temperatures reach or cross the 40 degree mark, areas close to the coast are more prone to heat waves.

According to IMD, for a heat wave to be declared, certain criteria are to be checked. There are four conditions in the said checklist. The first is that the maximum temperature of a station must reach at least 40 degrees for plains and at least 30 degrees for hilly regions. Next, when the normal maximum temperature of a station is less than or equal to 40 degrees, a departure of 5-6 degrees from normal causes a heat wave. While for stations with normal maximum temperatures greater than 40 degrees, a departure of 4-5 degrees from the normal results in a heat wave. The third condition is that when the actual maximum temperature of a region is 45 degrees or more, irrespective of normal maximum temperature, a heat wave should be declared. It is also considered that in Andhra Pradesh, a heat wave would mean a departure from normal temperature by 4 – 5 degrees, while a severe heat wave is caused by temperature excess of 6 degrees or more from normal.

Currently, the city is experiencing an average day time temperature of 31 degrees and average nighttime temperature of 26 degrees with partly cloudy skies and haze. And with Vizag expected to witness heat wave in April, experts have cautioned citizens to take the necessary precautions.