Amaravati, There is no respite from heavy rains in south coastal Andhra Pradesh, as parts of the region continued to receive heavy downpour on Tuesday, while a likely low pressure area in Andaman Sea may intensify and bring more rains to the state by December 3-4.

 

Nellore district received rains for a fourth consecutive day on Tuesday under the impact of a low pressure area.

Traffic on National Highway 16 connecting Nellore and Chennai was affected between Gudur and Manubolu due to floods in Pambaleru river. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on either side of the road as the water was overflowing on the highway.

The overflowing water from a tank at Manubolu also inundated the road. The tank was receiving flood water from the Kandaleru dam.

Nellore district, which is yet to recover from the devastation caused by the recent rains and floods, has been receiving heavy rains since Sunday night.

People in some villages in the district continue to face severe hardships due to overflowing rivers, reservoirs and tanks.

Seetharamapuram and Vinjamur in Nellore district received 11 and 9 cm rainfall during the last 24 hours, respectively.

Veligandla in Prakasam district recorded 10 cm rainfall, while Porumamilla in YSR Kadapa district received 9 cm rainfall.

Meanwhile, more rains are in store for coastal Andhra Pradesh due to likely emergence of a low pressure area over Andaman Sea, which is likely to intensify. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the low pressure area may intensify into a cyclonic storm over central Bay of Bengal around December 3.

"A low pressure lay over south Thailand and its neighbourhood at 08.30 hrs IST today. It is likely to emerge into the Andaman Sea during the next 12 hours. Thereafter, it is likely to move west-northwestwards and concentrate into a depression over southeast and adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal by December 2, and intensify into a cyclonic storm over central parts of the Bay of Bengal during the subsequent 24 hours. Subsequently, it is likely to move northwestwards, intensify further and reach north Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coasts around December 4 morning," the IMD said.

Light to moderate rainfall at many places with heavy rainfall at isolated places is very likely to commence over north coastal Andhra Pradesh and south coastal Odisha from the evening /night of December 3.

The IMD has forecast light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall and extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places over coastal Odisha and heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over the adjoining interior districts of Odisha, coastal districts of West Bengal and north coastal Andhra Pradesh on December 4.

Squally wind speed reaching 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph is likely to commence along and off North Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coast from the midnight of December 3 and increase gradually becoming 70-80 kmph gusting to 90 kmph from December 4 afternoon, for the subsequent 12 hours.

Depression in Bay of Bengal from November 13 to November 20 triggered heavy to very heavy rains in south coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema.

Heavy rains and floods battered Nellore, Chittoor, Kadapa and Anantapur districts, leaving at least 40 people dead. According to officials 25 people went missing. About 1,402 villages in 196 mandals and four towns were affected by the downpour.

The cost of the crops damage and loss to infrastructure is estimated at over Rs. 6,000 crore.