The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted that the heat wave conditions may subside in Telangana in the next 24 hours and has issued a red alert for Coastal Andhra Pradesh for the next 48 hours.
However, the worst is not over yet and the weather will still be hot with mercury hovering around 42- 43 degree Celsius. “Therefore, people are advised to take precautions,” said YK Reddy, director-in-charge, Hyderabad Meteorological Centre.
A red alert is issued when maximum temperatures exceed 47 degrees Celsius. “A red alert, in other words, is a severe heat wave condition. While heat wave conditions are declared when temperatures reache the 45 mark, a red alert is issued when temperatures exceed 47,” explained Reddy.
The IMD bulletin came even as the death toll in both the States increased to 532 with as many as 84 deaths reported from across AP and 71 in Telangana on Sunday alone. The heat wave toll in Telangana since April 15 has now touched 199 while it has risen to 333 in AP since May 18. In Telangana, Nalgonda alone accounted for 55 deaths.
In AP, Prakasam district reported 83 deaths followed by Visakhapatnam (53) and Vizianagaram (40). A senior official of the Telangana Disaster Management wing said 43 people died due to sunstroke in Khammam, 23 in Mahbubnagar district and two in Hyderabad.