Cloudy skies, gusty winds over Visakhapatnam; IMD forecasts thunderstorms

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Dark clouds gather over the Bay of Bengal and the beachfront along Beach Road in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: K.R. Deepak

Rain clouds rolled in from the Bay of Bengal over Visakhapatnam on Wednesday (June 17, 2026) afternoon, bringing a break from the heat. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast thunderstorms and gusty winds for north coastal Andhra Pradesh over the coming days.

The clouds came after a hot, humid afternoon. The IMD put the day’s high at 35.6 degrees Celsius, recorded at the Kailasagiri station in Visakhapatnam.

Monsoon rain clouds move in from the sea over Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. The IMD has forecast thunderstorms and gusty winds in north coastal Andhra Pradesh. Video: @krdeepu18pic.twitter.com/eAKfGIHNXR

Andhra Pradesh Directorate of Economics and Statistics (APDES) gauges showed the Government Eye Hospital station at Seethammadhara recording 3.11 mm and the Town Service Reservoir 1.25 mm by 2 p.m. Most city mandals, among them Maharanipeta, Mulagada and Anandapuram, reported no rain. But the wind kept up and the sky stayed grey.

Monsoon clouds loom over Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. Video: @krdeepu18pic.twitter.com/FQxsJjldAb

In its bulletin, the Meteorological Centre, Amaravati, said light to moderate rain or thundershowers were likely at one or two places in north coastal Andhra Pradesh. It warned of thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places, and of gusty winds reaching 40 to 50 kmph. Hot and humid conditions were also likely at isolated places, it said.

The district figured in the north coastal Andhra Pradesh group in the forecast, along with Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, East Godavari and West Godavari.

The heaviest rain fell over the northern districts. According to APDES, Vepada in Vizianagaram received 88.35 mm in the cumulative window from 8.30 a.m. to 2 p.m., the highest in the State. Gandhavaram in Anakapalli’s Chodavaram mandal recorded 64 mm and Devarapalle 55 mm. In Srikakulam, Kotabommali, Tekkali and Sant