Heavy rain likely in parts of Andhra Pradesh, flood alert for Anantapur & Kadapa

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heavy rain alert for Anantapur and Kadapa districts in Andhra Pradesh on Friday morning. The weather department said that the depression in Bay of Bengal has completely crossed the coast near south of Chennai and is moving into Anantapur-Bengaluru belt.

"The rain is now increasing drastically over Anantapur and Kadapa districts which can trigger floods by morning," the IMD said in its alert late on Thursday.

It has also forecast winds with high speed for the next 24 hours in specific areas.

"The Depression over southwest Bay of Bengal moved north-westwards and crossed north Tamilnadu & adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts between Puducherry & Chennai during 0300-0400 hrs IST of today, the 19th November 2021," the IMD said in its latest update on Twitter on Friday morning.

The weather department has also forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal and coastal Andhra Pradesh and heavy rainfall at isolated places over Rayalaseema and Karnataka on Friday.

In Karnataka, the heavy rainfall forecast has been made for Bengaluru Rural, Bangalore Urban, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Kodagu, Shivamogga, Tumakuru, Kolar, Mandya, Ramnagara and Chickballapura districts.

Meanwhile, rain lashed many parts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai and its neighbouring districts of Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Chengalpet, prompting the authorities to announce holiday for schools, even as it was the case with many other districts as well.

A release from the state disaster management department control room said that the southern state has received 480.3 mm of rainfall from October 1 to November 18, which was an excess of 61 per cent than the normal.

Teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and SDRF have been stationed in Chennai, Chengalpet, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur to meet relief and rescue needs.