Ahmedabad: After two months of blistering heat, the city finally woke up to the soothing rhythm of steady rainfall on Saturday. The southwest monsoon made a dramatic entrance late on Friday, with gusty winds, lightning, and thundershowers. The grey, rain-bearing clouds lingered through the day, turning the city delightfully cool.The mercury plummeted from a sweltering 37.8°C recorded on July 2 to a refreshing 29.2°C on Saturday, 6.8 degrees below normal. Even the minimum temperature settled at a comfortable 24.6°C, prompting many Amdavadis to turn off their airconditioners and open their windows to let in the cool breeze.While the city recorded an average of 8mm of rain until 6am and an additional 5mm by Saturday evening, the high humidity —hovering above 80% — was a small price to pay for the dramatic respite.Looking ahead, India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts that the cloudy embrace will stay, with one or two spells of rain likely on Sunday. Meanwhile, the rest of the state is gearing up for a heavy downpour. While parts of south Gujarat and coastal Saurashtra are on alert for extremely heavy rainfall, towns like Rajula in Amreli (95 mm) and Gandevi in Navsari (93 mm) have already been thoroughly drenched, pushing Gujarat’s seasonal rainfall total to 13.3%.
