Hot winds whip Ahmedabad as mercury touches 44.50C

Ahmedabad is again in the grip of a heat wave. The city was the third hottest place in the state on Sunday with the maximum temperature here touching 44.5 degree Celsius.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that because of the hot winds blowing into the state from the northwest, the mercury is unlikely to come down for the next two days.

The IMD weather bulletin for Sunday said, “Temperatures are likely to drop with the onset of monsoon which is expected after June 15. The heat wave effects will continue till then.”

The two hottest places in Gujarat on Sunday were both in North Gujarat. The hottest was Idar which recorded a maximum temperature of 47.2 degree Celsius, followed by Deesa which recorded a maximum of 46.1 degree Celsius.

The IMD has forecast that temperatures in northwest and central India could go up by 2 degree Celsius in the next 48 hours. For the state, the meteorological department’s forecast says that conditions are favourable for the further advance of the southwest monsoon in Gujarat. 

The temperature fell in several places in South Gujarat which experienced rain on Sunday.

The IMD report on the progress of monsoon in the country notes that the monsoon had advanced in most parts of Coastal Andhra Pradesh, coastal Orissa, west Bengal and Sikkim. But along the western coast, Gujarat and over north-eastern states, increased rainfall is likely around June 15 to 17.

Parents in Ahmedabad are worried by the heat wave conditions currently prevailing in the city as many schools have re-opened after the summer vacation.

Parents have been seeking advice from doctors on how to keep their children safe from the heat, and anxious mothers have increased the liquid intake of their school-going children.