Nursing students protect themselves using umbrellas from the scorching sun at the Government General Hospital in Ongole on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: KOMMURI SRINIVAS
A day after recording 47.6°C, Piduguralla in Palnadu district broke records of the past 10 years by registering 48.1°C on Thursday, May 21 — a first for the place since 2016. This is also the second highest temperature to have been recorded in the State since 2016.
According to data compiled by the A.P. State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA), Piduguralla’s temperatures remained below 45.5°C between the years 2016 and 2025. The town’s lowest maximum temperature was 42°C, recorded in 2016 and its highest maximum temperature during this time was 45.5°C, recorded in 2019.
Piduguralla’s temperature on Thursday is also the second highest to have been recorded in the State, after Velingandla in Prakasam district which saw 48.6°C on May 2, 2016.
The season’s highest temperatures recorded during 2016-2025 are as follows: Veligandla 48.6°C in 2016, Tanguturu in Prakasam 47.8°C in 2017, Marripadu in Nellore and Dachepalle in Palnadu both recorded 45.6°C in 2018, Ibrahimpatam in Krishna district 47.3°C in 2019, Pamidimukkala in Krishna, Bhattiprolu in Guntur and Kanigiri in Prakasam districts recorded 47.8°C in 2020, Pedapadu in West Godavari district 45.9°C in 2021, Gudur in Tirupati 45.9°C in 2022, Rajamahendravaram Rural in East Godavari 46.8°C, Gospadu in Nandyal district 47.7°C in 2024 and Panyam in Nandyal 44°C in 2025.
India Meteorological Department (IMD), Amaravati, Senior Scientist S. Karunasagar said while May is considered the hottest month in A.P., the temperatures further shoot up when there are westerly/north westerly winds reaching the State, as is the case now. The State will continue to see severe heat conditions for the next three days, he added.
The IMD, in a special release on Thursday, said ‘severe heatwave’ is likely in the districts of East Godavari, Konaseema, Eluru, West Godavari, NTR, Krishna, Palnadu, Guntur, Bapatla, Prakasam, SPSR Nellore on May 23 and 24 and issued heatwave alerts for the above-mentioned districts until May 26.
Rain likely
Meanwhile, due to the influence of a surface trough, light scattered rains are likely in parts of Alluri Sitharama Raju, Polavaram, Nellore, and Rayalaseema.
On Thursday, scorching heat was experienced in the districts of Palnadu, followed by Prakasam, Krishna, Eluru, Bapatla, NTR, Guntur and Markapuram. Temperatures crossed 45°C in 18 districts, and 200 mandals out of the total 688 in the State recorded 44°C and above, said APSDMA Managing Director Prakhar Jain.
Highest temperatures
The temperatures in various stations are: 48.1°C at Piduguralla, 47.6°C at Vetapalem of Bapatla district, and Nandivada of Krishna district, 47.4°C at Torragudipadu of NTR and Addanki of Prakasam district, 47.3°C at Allipalli in Eluru district, 46.6°C at Nandanamarella in Markapuram, 46.5°C at Kunavaram in Polavaram district, 46.4°C at Kavali in Nellore and 46°C at Tenali of Guntur district.
Published – May 21, 2026 09:29 pm IST
