Telangana braces for a long, difficult summer

Get ready for a scorching summer in Hyderabad with temperatures expected to soar above 40°C by May.

It is going to be a long and difficult summer, with temperatures already hovering above 37° C across the State within the first week of March.

It is only going to get hotter and hotter till May-end, say meteorologists at the Telangana State Development Planning Society (TSDPS), who predict a high of around 40-41° C as early as the end of this week.

“The temperatures are now between 35° and 38° C in most places during the day, and these are going to touch 42°-44° by the end of this month. We will experience heatwaves throughout Telangana in the coming days which were not there in the last two years,” said TSDPS weather forecast consultant Y.V. Rama Rao.

The only saving grace for the people of the twin cities is that the temperatures here are likely to be a degree or two lower as compared to most parts of the State including Khammam, Warangal, Nalgonda and other regions like the coal belt, thanks to the higher altitude of the Deccan plateau.

The extreme heat during the day could also lead to thunderstorms activity in most places including the capital region once the north-south trough activity picks up covering Vidarbha, Madhya Pradesh, Rayalaseema, etc., This could happen throughout the summer season, he explained.

The rise in maximum temperatures will also impact the night temperatures. The city is likely to see a rise of two degrees from the current 20-23° C.

Mr. Rama Rao has advised people to be cautious and avoid venturing outside between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. during the day and keep drinking water. The highest maximum temperature recorded has been 46.3°C at Bayyaram (Mahabubabad) on March 23, 2016.