Ahmedabad: If you thought that the April sun was cruel, brace yourself for some bad news. Gujarat is heading into a hotter-than-usual May and weather officials warn of not only higher number of heatwave days, but also more prolonged spells. What’s worse is that nights are expected to stay warmer, adding to overall discomfort, according to the long-range forecast (LRF) for May released by the India meteorological department on Friday. Director general of meteorology, IMD, Mrityunjay Mohapatra, said, “Minimum temperatures are expected to remain above normal across large parts of the country during May.”The forecast suggests that maximum temperatures in Gujarat will be above normal in most areas, except for some pockets of northeast Gujarat. Minimum temperatures are expected to be significantly higher in peninsular Saurashtra and south Gujarat, moderately higher in central Gujarat, and close to normal in Kutch and north Gujarat.The heatwave outlook points to a higher likelihood of heatwave conditions in Saurashtra and Kutch, as well as parts of central and south Gujarat. Officials have cautioned that the combination of higher day and night temperatures could intensify heat stress.In April, the IMD said, most parts of the country experienced normal to below-normal maximum temperatures. The weather pattern in April showed variability, with most parts of India recording normal to below-normal maximum temperatures. However, southern peninsular India saw above-normal heat. The IMD attributed fluctuations during the month to seven Western Disturbances that influenced weather conditions across the country. On rainfall, IMD has projected above-normal rainfall across most parts of the country in May. However, some regions in east, northeast and east-central India may receive below-normal rainfall. In Gujarat, most areas are expected to receive above-normal rainfall, except for a few locations in coastal Saurashtra.On the onset of the southwest monsoon, Mohapatra said, “The monsoon may arrive over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands around May 14-16.”
