With 11 cities in Gujarat registering temperatures above 37°C, the summer has officially arrived in the state. The meteorological department issued a yellow alert for five days, starting today.
The yellow alert was issued for the Saurashtra-Kutch region, including Porbandar, Gir Somnath, Amreli, Rajkot, Junagadh, and Kutch. The hot and humid weather is likely to be prevalent in these areas.
On Mar 22, Rajkot recorded the highest temperature at 39.5°C. The average maximum temperature increased by 3°C above normal, and it is likely to touch 42°C for the next five days.
Apart from Rajkot, places that recorded temperatures above 37°C include Amreli, Dang, Vadodara, Bhuj, Chhotaudepur, Gandhinagar, Disa, Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, and Jamnagar.
Ahmedabad recorded an average maximum temperature of 38.9°C; 2°C above normal. The average minimum temperature of Ahmedabad on the night of Mar 22 was 18.7°C, showing a difference of 20°C between the maximum and minimum temperature of Ahmedabad.
The weather department has predicted that the temperature will be around 39°C in Ahmedabad for the next five days. On the other hand, according to the prediction of a private weather forecasting organisation, the temperature in Ahmedabad on March 27-28 may reach 43°C.