A farmer leaves his flock of sheep to graze in a dried-up field at Katamida Vari Palem village in Chimakurthy mandal of Prakasam district. With scant rainfall in recent weeks, farmers are struggling to find fodder for their livestock.
| Photo Credit: Kommuri Srinivas
Low-pressure systems have come and gone, but none has translated into good rainfall for Andhra Pradesh during the first three months of the Southwest monsoon.The latest system, which formed over Gangetic West Bengal and the northwest Bay of Bengal on August 23, is likely to move nearly west-northwestwards during the 24 hours ending at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. It brought light showers at isolated places in the State on August 24. On Tuesday, only a few places in coastal Andhra Pradesh received rainfall, with none recording more than 25 mm, according to real-time rainfall data available with the Directorate of Economics and Statistics (DES).The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast light rain at a few places in North Coastal Andhra Pradesh on August 26, but there is no forecast of widespread rainfall in the State until August 29.Between July 1 and August 25, seven low-pressure areas formed over the Bay of Bengal — on July 3, July 17, July 24, August 8, August 11, August 16 and August 23. Two of these systems intensified into depressions and one into a deep depression. However, Andhra Pradesh did not benefit significantly from them.One reason is that all the systems formed in the head of the Bay of Bengal, near the coasts of Odisha, West Bengal and Bangladesh.“Secondly, while more systems are forming, they are producing only localised rainfall,” said O.P. Sreejith, a scientist with the Climate Research and Services division of the IMD, Pune. He said this could be due to large-scale subsidence associated with El Niño.In simple terms, large-scale subsidence causes air to sink over a region, suppressing cloud formation and rainfall. This can result in rainfall activity being concentrated in isolated pockets.During the first three months of the Southwest monsoon, including June, July and August, Andhra Pradesh has recorded a 51.2% rainfall deficit. All 28 districts have recorded deficient rainfall, with Annamayya reporting the highest deficit of 75.9%. Prakasam and Chittoor have also recorded substantial deficits of 67.5% and 65%, respectively.September, too, is likely to be a relatively dry month for the State.With the rainfall situation remaining poor, experts fear that the grim conditions could persist, with a severe impact on farmers. Published - August 25, 2026 08:12 pm IST
