Andhra Pradesh - Climate
The state has a tropical climate. The average temperature during the cooler months of December and January is 28°C, and in the summer months of May and June the temperature reaches 40°C. Most parts of the state in summer are hot and humid. Hyderabad, the state’s capital however, can be hot and dry in the peak summer month of May. The annual average temperature is 31.5°C. The state is principally fed by the southwest monsoon while the northeast monsoon contributes about one-third of rainfall. The east coast region has been prone to disastrous cyclonic storms, which have destroyed much life and the livelihood of the villagers in the area. Rainfall mainly occurs during the monsoon period of June to September while it is only 3 cm between December and March. About two thirds of rain, falls in the northeastern part of the state.
Andhra Pradesh is popular referred to as the Rice Bowl of India because of its extensive rice cultivation. The state is a paradise for visitors, who want to learn about the glorious history of the region, explore the architectural marvels of temples, mosques and stupas and revel in the limitless natural beauty. The rich cultural heritage and the natural wonders of the state are the reasons the major attractions. The diverse and extensive topography of the state has an effect on the weather patterns.
In general, the weather in Andhra Pradesh is suitable for travelling and sightseeing. The daytime can be hot and humid, but the temperatures are not unbearable. The coastal regions of the state receive more rainfall from other region, which can suffer from period droughts. To escape from sun, Andhra Pradesh has many hill stations that offer respite from the heat, particular in the hot summer months.
Andhra Pradesh experiences three seasons – summer, rainy season (more commonly referred to as the monsoon season) and winter. Summers in the state start in March and run through till the end of June. During this period, the mercury can climb pretty high, particularly in the coastal regions. The summer temperature in the state varies from 20 degrees Celsius to 40 degrees Celsius. In some places, the mercury can go as high as 45 degrees Celsius during the day. The summer period often is interrupted by occasional thunderstorms and rain which helps to bring down the temperature and make it more bearable.
The famous Asian monsoon rears its head in Andhra Pradesh in July and lasts right until September. The state can receive heavy rainfall during this season, but it transforms the entire state in an oasis. The vegetation across the state comes to life and it just adds to the attraction. The state receives most of its rainfall from the Northeast Monsoons.
The winter season in the state begins from October. In some parts, it may rain during the start of the season. The temperature in the state becomes extremely pleasant during winter season, which lasts from October through February. The winters are not very cold because of the massive coastline and temperatures tend to range from 13 degrees Celsius to 30 degrees Celsius. This season is the best time to visit Andhra Pradesh and discover its natural beauty and celebrated past.
Andhra Pradesh state is rich in water resources. River Godavari is the largest and broadest river in the southern India, which originates at Triambakeshwar near Nasik in Maharashtra. River Krishna enters the state at Alampur after having originated at Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra. Tungabhadra is an important tributary of the river Krishna. Nagarjunasagar Dam at Nandi Konda, Srisailam project at Srisailam and Prakasam barrage at Vijayawada, are constructed on this river. Pennar, Vamsadhara and Nagavali are other important rivers. All the rivers are rain fed and of great economic significance because they are the source for hydropower and irrigation. The two major lakes in the state are the Kolleru and Pulicat. While the Kolleru lake lies in the delta between the rivers Krishna and the Godavari, the Pulicat lake is located in the southern tip of Nellore district, close to the sea. Andhra Pradesh state is rich in reservoirs and tank resources.
Climate change poses a challenge to sustainability of social andeconomic development, livelihoods of communities and environmental management inIndia. India has pursued a strong domestic agenda to adapt to climate change whilemaintaining its growth objective and engaging constructively with the internationalcommunity.
Agriculture is severely affected by variability in rainfall andtemperature patterns, while rising sea levels and extreme events of marine origin, suchas cyclones, pose problems for the coastal areas. Besides these, other critical areas ofconcern are food security, increasing number of climate vulnerable habitats (like slumsor village dwellings) and climate vulnerable infrastructure (like roads and bridges whichmay be washed away by floods).
Andhra Pradesh is exposed to cyclones, storm surges, floods and droughts. A moderate to severe intensity cyclone can be expected to make landfall every two to three years. About 44 percent of the state is vulnerable to tropical storms and related hazards. In India, the cyclones develop in the pre-monsoon (April to May) and post-monsoon seasons (October to December), but most of them tend to form in the month of November. The regular occurrence of Disasters both Natural and Man-made in Coastal Andhra Pradesh in India has had a series of repercussions on the state country’s Economy, its development policies and political equilibrium and daily life of millions of Indians. Andhra Pradesh is battered by every kind of natural disaster: cyclones, floods, earthquakes and drought. The coastal region suffers repeated cyclones and floods. The 1977 cyclone and tidal wave, which resulted in great loss of life, attracted the attention of the central and state Governments of India and the international donor communities, as did those of 1979, 1990 and 1996. The floods in the Godavari and Krishna Rivers caused havoc in the East and West Godavari and Krishna districts.
Social and economic life of AP's population is characterized by recurring natural disasters. The state is exposed to cyclones, storm surges, floods, and droughts. According to the available disaster inventories, AP is the state that has suffered the most from the adverse effects of severe cyclones. It has been estimated that about 44 percent of AP's total territory is vulnerable to tropical storms and related hazards, while its coastal belt is likely to be the most vulnerable region in India to these natural phenomena. Khamman district, in the Telengana region, is affected by monsoon floods, along with five districts in Coastal AP. Four districts in Rayalaseema and five in Telengana experience drought. Along the coastline, the section between Nizampatnam and Machilipatnam is the most prone to storm surges. The fertile Delta areas of the Godavari and the Krishna rivers, which contribute substantially to the state's economic prosperity, face flood and drainage problems, and more so in the aftermath of cyclones.
Cyclones on the east coast originate in the Bay of Bengal, the Andaman Sea or the South China Sea, and usually reach the coastline of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal, which are the most vulnerable to these types of hazards. Two of the deadliest cyclones of this century, with fatalities of about 10,000 people in each case, took place in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh during October 1971 and November 1977 respectively. The super cyclone of Odisha in 1999 caused large scale damage to life and property. Along the Andhra coast, the section between Nizampatnam and Machilipatnam is the most prone to storm surges. Vulnerability to storm surges is not uniform along Indian coasts.
With a frequency of four cyclones per year, one of which usually becomes severe, the Bay of Bengal accounts for seven percent of the annual tropical cyclone activity worldwide. Despite this relatively low percentage, the level of human and property loss that cyclones cause around the Bay is very high. Once the cyclones enter the mainland, they give way to heavy rains which often translate into floods, as it was the case with the damaging cyclone-induced floods in the Godavari delta, in August of 1986.
Many drought prone areas adjacent to coastal districts in eastern maritime states are thus vulnerable to flash floods originated by the torrential rains induced by the cyclonic depression. In addition to cyclones and its related hazards, monsoon depressions over the north and central areas of the Bay of Bengal move until reaching north and central India, including portions of Andhra Pradesh, bringing heavy to very heavy rains and causing floods in the inland rivers between June and September. In Andhra traditionally, the flood problem had been confined to the flooding of smaller rivers. But the drainage problem in the coastal delta zones has worsened, multiplying the destructive potential of cyclones and increasing flood hazards. A critical factor is maintenance of irrigation systems. On several occasions, deaths have been caused by breaches in tanks and canals as well as over-flooding caused by silting and growth of weeds.
More than sixty cyclones have affected AP this century. The incidence of cyclones seems to have increased in the past decades, to the extent that severe cyclones have become a common event occurring every two to three years, repeatedly and severely affecting the state's economy while challenging its financial and institutional resources. Almost 29 million people are vulnerable to cyclones and their effects in Coastal AP, 3.3 million of who belong to communities located within five km of the seashore. The deadliest cyclone in the last twenty years took place in November 1977 killing about 10,000 people. More recently, the May 1990 cyclone, with a death toll close to 1,000 people, caused about US$1.25 billion in damage in ten districts, including the entire coast. Between 1977 and 1992, about 13,000 lives and 338,000 cattle were lost due to cyclones and floods, and nearly 3.3 million houses damaged.
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