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A traveller coming from cooler places may
find Andhra Pradesh to be hot; this place
is usually hot throughout the year. The climate here is warm, humid, or
hot according to the season and the location of the area. There is not
much variation in the summer and winter temperatures. The average annual
rainfall is 125 centimetres.
The State can be divided into four climatic zones, the deltaic zone, the
coastal zone, the Eastern Ghats, and the plateau zone. The deltaic zone
comprises mainly of the Krishna and Godavari deltas and this region
experiences the maximum temperature in the month of May.
In the coastal plains the rainfall progressively diminishes, and the
temperature rises, as one travels from north to south. The zone comprising
the Eastern Ghats is broken up into two independent divisions by the
uplands of Krishna and Godavari and this region experiences mild summers
and cool winters with dew and fog.
The climate of Telangana, which consists mainly of the plateau zone,
though not salubrious, is nevertheless agreeable for the greater part of
the year.
Summer season lasts from March to May with temperatures ranging from 20 to 40 degrees centigrade. June to December is monsoon time and the weather remains hot and sultry. Winters are pleasant and last from October to February with temperatures varying from 13 to 32 degree centigrade.
Roughly, it can be said that rainfall is
highest in the north and along the seaboard, varying between 40 and 45
inches, diminishing as one travels westward to 35, then 30, then 25, and
finally to 20 inches in the south-western districts.
The Southwest monsoons play a major role in determining the climate of
the state. Two-thirds of the state's rainfall is derived from the South
West monsoon. Chittoor and
Nellore districts experience the
Northeastern monsoon that account for about one-third of the total
rainfall in Andhra Pradesh.
In coastal areas rainfall is heavy; in some areas on the plateau
especially in the north and west, it is sparse. Most of the region gets
the oncoming monsoon rains from June to September, but the retreating
monsoons around October-December bless the extreme south. The coastal
regions are subjected to storms and cyclones in November-December.