After a delay of more than 15 days, Telangana finally witnessed southwest monsoon showers on Friday, a welcome sight for Hyderabad and state farmers as well as a respite from the heat wave.
Several parts of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh received rains, giving much-needed relief to people reeling under an extended spell of summer. With the onset of the monsoon, farmers were advised to proceed with sowing and other agricultural activities.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), there was an onset of monsoon over most parts of Telangana and entire Andhra Pradesh.
YK Reddy, the director of IMD Hyderabad, said the remaining parts of Telangana are very likely to be covered in one or two days. The rainfall during June was expected to be below normal but the delay in onset of monsoon would have no impact on the quantum of rainfall for the monsoon season. The shortage of rainfall faced in June is likely to be made up in July and August. The monsoon is expected to last till September, he added.
Overall seasonal rainfall is expected to be close to normal with 755 mm of rain for Telangana and 912 mm for Andhra Pradesh. The IMD has forecast above normal rainfall till June 27 in Telangana, Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra Pradesh.
For the subsequent week, Telangana and coastal Andhra Pradesh can expect above normal rainfall. The drought prone Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh can expect normal rainfall this season.
The last time the monsoon was delayed by over 10 days in the two Telugu states was over a decade ago in 2009. "Weak El Nino conditions are likely to prevail during monsoon season with reduced intensity in the later part of the season towards September," added Reddy.
Hyderabad came to a standstill
As soon as rains began over Hyderabad, roads turned difficult to navigate for motorists with many parts of the city facing water logging and traffic jams. The power supply was interrupted in many areas of the city, and for over two hours at areas like Ameerpet and Chadarghat. The GHMC, the disaster management team and the even the traffic police were spotted cleaning drains to prevent the traffic from piling up.
The locality surrounding Raheja Mindspace received rainfall of 70-80 mm and witnessed traffic gridlock for close to two hours. Commuters dependent on taxi aggregators had to ditch the service due to exorbitant surge charge rates. Some left their cars and bikes behind, leading to high footfalls in the Hyderabad metro rail. Even popular Telugu film actor Nitin was spotted in the Hyderabad metro trying to escape traffic.
Well, I know that I have mentioned in my resume that my Patience level is too high but it doesn't mean you need to test it like this @rapidobikeapp
— Ayush Verma (@AyushVerma1303) June 21, 2019
that too when I was stuck in heavy rain. #Rapido #Hyderabad pic.twitter.com/hgebPvGvHq
Rain lashed parts of Hyderabad today. Raja Rao, Meteorologist says,"the South West monsoon has advanced into Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It has covered entire Andhra Pradesh today and most parts of Telangana." pic.twitter.com/AIe6tVXfX3
— ANI (@ANI) June 21, 2019
The weather website Skymet has predicted the maximum temperature of 34 degrees and a minimum of 25-degree Celsius with cloudy skies and with one or to spells of rain and thundershower for Hyderabad on Saturday.