Low pressure brings good rainfall to coastal A.P.

The city of Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam awoke to thunderstorms on Saturday, September 12, as heavy rain battered the area. Low-lying regions, like the Pandit Nehru Bus Station, experienced significant flooding. Traffic congestion was reported at major intersections, including Benz Circle and NTR Circle, where vehicles were stuck for up to an hour.

Although Visakhapatnam did not suffer from flooding, the persistent drizzle provided much-needed relief after a prolonged dry and hot period. According to real-time data from the Directorate of Economics and Statistics (DES), Gunadala station in Vijayawada North recorded 46.5 mm of rainfall between 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., while Vijayawada Central received 14 mm.

This marks the first instance this monsoon season that the city received such substantial rainfall. Nearby locations, including Gannavaram, Kankipadu, and other areas of Krishna district, also received moderate rainfall on Saturday morning. Following a dry start to the Southwest Monsoon season, numerous stations across Andhra Pradesh witnessed widespread moderate to heavy rainfall on September 11, thanks to a low-pressure system that formed in the Bay of Bengal.

By 5 a.m. on Saturday, the system was situated over South Chattisgarh and the surrounding region, and was expected to traverse west-northwestwards through South Chhattisgarh and Vidarbha within the next 24 hours. Unlike previous July and August when multiple low-pressure systems formed in the Bay of Bengal but failed to deliver substantial rainfall to the state, this time around, many northern and southern coastal Andhra Pradesh stations experienced heavy to very heavy rainfall in a single day.

Rayalaseema, on the other hand, did not see significant rainfall activity. According to the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA), the intense rainfall activity centered in West Godavari and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema districts. The average rainfall recorded in these two districts between 8:30 a.m. on September 11 and the corresponding time on September 12 (Saturday) stood at 46.2 mm and 36.4 mm, respectively.

Notable mandals, such as Penugonda, Iragavaram, Penumantra, Achanta, Ganapavaram, Kanchili, Poduru, and Vijayawada (Rural), received between 61.4 mm and 108.2 mm of rainfall during the 24-hour period. Isolated moderate to heavy rainfall is anticipated in north Andhra districts, while moderate rainfall is expected in southern coastal Andhra Pradesh.

Strong winds of 50–60 km/h are likely along the north Andhra coast, while 40–50 km/h winds are projected along the south coastal Andhra Pradesh.