Published on April 7, 2023
AHMEDABAD: If prolonged cough, cold and fever haunted you recently, blame it on the ‘temperate’ weather where the mornings and evenings were cooler and afternoon hours hotter. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, March this year was one of the coolest in the past several years for Ahmedabad, and Gujarat at large. Ahmedabad saw three consecutive weeks of below normal maximum temperatures – an unusual phenomenon for the city known for its hot summers.
It was in direct contrast to February – which was the warmest in seven years for the city. Overall, winter months had relatively lower days with below normal minimum temperatures, making it a warm winter for the state. IMD forecast said that the temperatures are likely to achieve normal levels from April 7 onwards.
The maximum temperature of 32 degrees Celsius on March 20 in Ahmedabad was 4.6 degrees lower than normal, making it the lowest maximum temperature for a day in March in 40 years. The earlier record was 33.5 degrees Celsius in 1995. To put the figure in perspective, against average March maximum temperature for Ahmedabad at 35.9 degrees, the average from March 16 to 31 was 34.7 degrees, and overall it was 35 degrees.
Across Gujarat, March and early days of April saw the impact of western disturbance and several spells of rainfall – especially in parts of north Gujarat, Saurashtra and Kutch. The impact of weather change was felt across the state as the day temperatures remained below normal, said Met department officials. The unseasonal rains have also caused widespread damage to various crops in Gujarat.
Manorama Mohanty, the head of IMD Gujarat, said the past few weeks saw activities such as western disturbance, which reduced the maximum temperature. “We do not see the possibility of major rainfall for the next few days with the impact of the system weakening,” she said. IMD forecast had mentioned chances of mercury touching 39 degrees on Friday.
Parth Shastri Archive 