Gujarat: Rainfall brings down temperature by over 8°C below normal; orange alert across state till July 5

Indian Express

5 hours ago

As many as 160 talukas of Gujarat received rainfall on Sunday, with Kadi in Mehsana recording the highest amount, 91 mm or 3.58 inch, till 6 pm.
The rains brought in their wake a sudden dip in temperature – of 8.8 degrees below normal – as Gandhinagar recorded the lowest maximum temperature in the state at 28.2 degree Celsius. With light showers with intermittent heavy rainfall seen throughout the day till the evening, Ahmedabad city, too, at 28.6 degree Celsius, recorded a variation of 8.2 degrees below-normal temperature. Deesa recorded 29.4 degree Celsius, which was 8 degrees below normal.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a forecast of heavy rainfall in Gujarat till July 5 due to 'an upper air cyclonic circulation over south Rajasthan and adjoining north Gujarat along with an east-west trough from the upper air cyclonic circulation over south Rajasthan and adjoining north Gujarat to the cyclonic circulation associated with the low-pressure area over northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining West Bengal and Bangladesh coasts across Madhya Pradesh, north Chhattisgarh and north Odisha and an upper air cyclonic circulation over central parts of north Arabian Sea'.
Further, an orange alert against very heavy rainfall has been issued for Navsari, Valsad, Sabarkantha, Aravalli, and Surat on July 2 and 3.
Other talukas that received heavy rainfall on Sunday were Viramgam in Ahmedabad at 84 mm, Kalol in Gandhinagar 52 mm, Umarpada in Surat 49 mm, Detroj in Ahmedabad 47 mm, Savli in Vadodara 41 mm, Bavla in Ahmedabad 31 mm, Vyara and Songadh in Tapi 31 mm and 29 mm, respectively, and Khergam in Navsari 28 mm.
Other centres that noted below-30 degree Celsius temperature were Mahuva at 29.6 degrees and Surendranagar at 29.8 degree Celsius. The highest maximum temperature was recorded at Dwarka at 34.9 degree Celsius.
Rainfall so far
Within the last 24 hours till Sunday, Chikhli in Navsari was lashed with 88 mm rainfall followed by Valsad and Vapi at 82 and 66 mm, respectively.
As per the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), this year so far, Gujarat has received 278.90 mm rainfall or 31.62 per cent average rainfall.
Of the 206 total dams in the state, 19 have been put on high alert, 13 on alert, and 14 on warning.
As per the Gujarat state roads and building department, four state highways —one each in Banaskantha, Vadodara, Narmada and Surendranagar — have been closed as on Sunday 2 pm while 85 panchayat roads were shut. The highest number of such panchayat roads are in Navsari (27), followed by 10 in Valsad, and eight in Bhavnagar.