Ahmedabad: The delayed withdrawal of Southwest monsoon last week has caused temperatures, both minimum and maximum, to drop across Gujarat.
With north westerly to northerly winds along with dry weather prevailing over the state, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a forecast of no change in minimum and maximum temperatures till Friday. The decline in temperatures recorded across most centres is as high as four degrees below normal temperature.
Also, the gap in the minimum and maximum temperature is almost double at a few centres.
The highest maximum temperature of 37 degrees Celsius was recorded at Deesa and Kandla Port, while the lowest minimum temperature of 19 degrees Celsius recorded in the region was at Naliya and Mahuva.
While the night temperatures fell appreciably in most parts, the day temperatures too recorded a decline, especially in parts of Saurashtra, recording below normal. Valsad and Mahuva have recorded the highest dip — four degrees below normal — in the night time temperature while the coastal town of Veraval has recorded the highest dip of three degrees in the maximum temperature followed by Naliya, Mahuva and Keshod of two degrees each.
The minimum temperature recorded Tuesday in Mahuva was 19 degrees Celsius and Valsad 17 degrees Celsius while these centres recorded a maximum temperature of 35 degrees Celsius.
Keshod recorded a maximum temperature of 33 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 20 degrees Celsius while Naliya was at 34 and 19 degrees Celsius. “There is a slight decline in maximum and minimum temperatures which is normal around this time of the year,” said IMD Ahmedabad regional director Manorama Mohanty.
Barring a few exceptions including Ahmedabad, Gandhina-gar, Dwarka, Rajkot and Vadodara, minimum temperatures at majority of the centres were reported to be below normal temperatures. Ahmedabad recorded 36 and 22 degree Celsius of maximum and minimum temperature respectively, with no change in the maximum temperature while the minimum temperature is 2 degrees above normal temperature.