Heatwave alert in Gujarat as temperatures expected to touch 41°C

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued heatwave alerts for parts of Gujarat as temperatures rise sharply at the start of summer.

An orange alert was issued for Ahmedabad on March 10, while a yellow alert is expected to remain in place on March 11. Meteorologists said maximum temperatures across many parts of the state are likely to hover around 41°C.

Orange alerts have been issued for Kutch, Banaskantha, Patan, Morbi, Surendranagar, Rajkot, Junagadh and Gandhinagar districts.

Meanwhile, yellow alerts have been issued for Mehsana, Sabarkantha, Kheda, Anand, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Bhavnagar, Botad, Amreli and Gir Somnath.

On Monday, Rajkot and Surendranagar recorded the highest maximum temperature in the state at 41.6°C, around 7 degrees above the normal level.

The weather department has also warned of hot and humid conditions in coastal areas of north and south Gujarat between March 10 and 13.

A K Das, director of the Meteorological Department, said severe heatwave conditions were likely in different parts of the state on March 10 and 11.

“The sky in Ahmedabad will remain clear. The maximum temperature is likely to reach around 41°C while the minimum temperature may remain close to 23°C,” Das said.

He added that similar weather conditions are expected to persist over the next three days with little change in temperature, after which a gradual drop of 2°C to 4°C may occur. The current wind direction over the region is from north to north-east, he said.