Rains give respite from heat wave in Andhra, Telangana

Pre-monsoon rains provided some respite from the blistering heat wave in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where more than 2,200 people died in last two weeks.

Parts of the two Telugu states received rains since Sunday night, slightly bringing down the temperatures.

However, the heat wave conditions continued in Telangana with almost all towns recording maximum temperature of over 40 degrees.

Showers and thunderstorms lashed parts of Andhra Pradesh. Several parts of Rayalaseema and few areas in coastal Andhra Pradesh received rains.

Rains in Anantapur district damaged vegetable crops while strong winds in Kurnool district uprooted electricity poles, disrupting power supply. West Goadavari and Krishna districts also received rainfall.

According to Hyderabad Meteorological Centre, heat wave conditions prevailed in Guntur district in south coastal Andhra. Jangamaheshwarapuram in Guntur district recorded the maximum temperature of 45 degree Celsius.

The Met office said heat wave conditions prevailed over some parts in the districts of Adilabad, Nizamabad, Warangal, Rangareddy, Hyderabad and Mahabubnagar of Telangana.

The maximum temperature in Adilabad and Nizamabad was 46 degree Celsius. Hanamkonda was next hottest at 45 degrees. The temperature in Nalgonda and Ramagundam was 44 and was 43 in Hyderabad, Mahabubnagar and Medak.

The high temperatures were despite rains in parts of Telangana. Some areas in Warangal, Adilabad, Mahabubnagar and Karimnagar received two to eight cm rainfall.

The heat wave claimed 2,219 lives in the two states during last two weeks. Andhra Pradesh accounted for 1,677 deaths while 542 people died of sunstroke in Telangana.