Ahmedabad: Some areas of the city had a brief respite from a hot and humid day, thanks to a light drizzle. The maximum temperature came down to 37.8 degrees celsius, which was still 1.8 degrees above normal. At 28.5 degrees, the minimum temperature, too, was 1.7 degrees above normal.Meanwhile, farmers across Gujarat got much-needed relief on Thursday as the southwest monsoon advanced further, covering almost the entire Saurashtra peninsula by Thursday morning. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said conditions remain favourable for the monsoon’s further progress across the state over the next few days.The normal onset date for the southwest monsoon in South Gujarat is June 15, while the entire state is usually covered by June 30. This year, however, the monsoon arrived on June 24. On Thursday morning, the northern limit of the monsoon passed through Porbandar and Vallabh Vidyanagar, among other locations. Gujarat has so far received 6% of its seasonal rainfall.The monsoon’s advance was accompanied by heavy to very heavy rain in several parts of Saurashtra. Mangrol recorded 245mm rainfall, Keshod 242mm and Manavadar 213mm in Junagadh district, with most of the precipitation occurring within one to two hours. By 6pm, rain of 1mm or more was recorded in 140 talukas across Gujarat, while 22 talukas, most of them in Saurashtra, received 50mm or more rainfall.According to the IMD forecast, parts of Surat, Navsari, Valsad, Amreli and Bhavnagar are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall, with isolated instances of extremely heavy rain. Heavy to very heavy showers are also expected in Porbandar, Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Narmada, Bharuch, Dang and Tapi, while Anand, Panchmahal, Vadodara, Chhota Udepur, Rajkot, Devbhoomi Dwarka and Botad are likely to witness heavy rain on Friday.“After a brief pause, the monsoon has regained momentum and is likely to cover the entire state soon. We expect widespread rainfall across Gujarat as several districts are already experiencing heavy to very heavy showers,” said a senior Met department official.Cloudy skies and widespread rainfall also brought down temperatures across Gujarat, with all cities and towns recording maximum temperatures below 40 degrees celsius. The IMD has forecast a further drop of 2-3 degrees over the next two days, after which temperatures are expected to stabilise.
