The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a forecast for thunderstorms and light to moderate rains in parts of Telangana for four days starting Thursday. The IMD’s Hyderabad center has predicted that thunderstorms accompanied by lightning are likely to occur in some areas.
The department has issued a yellow alert for one or two districts for now, with maximum and minimum temperatures expected to be around 37 degrees Celsius and 24 degrees Celsius respectively. The sky is expected to be partly cloudy towards afternoons and evenings.
This announcement follows a similar forecast made by the IMD earlier in March, which resulted in hailstorms and thunderstorms causing significant damage to agriculture in Mahabubabad, Jangaon, and Warangal districts. The current yellow alert issued on Wednesday is the second such instance since the start of summer. The trough/wind discontinuity now runs from central parts of north Madhya Pradesh to south Tamil Nadu across Vidarbha, Telangana, and Rayalaseema.
On Wednesday afternoon, the mercury levels across the state continued to rise, with Jankarpally in the Nizamabad district recording the highest maximum temperature of 41.6 degrees Celsius. More than 15 locations in Nizamabad, Adilabad, Nirmal, Nagarkurnool, Jogulamba Gadwal, and Nalgonda districts have breached the 40 degrees Celsius mark, according to data provided by the state-run Telangana State Development Planning Society.
In Hyderabad, the maximum temperature touched 38.4 degrees Celsius, at Khairatabad. The IMD’s forecast for thunderstorms and rain may bring much-needed relief to the people of Telangana from the scorching heat. However, they should also take necessary precautions to avoid any potential damage or harm from lightning strikes.