Ahmedabad: After a brief, three-day flirtation with comparatively cooler weather, Ahmedabad has re-entered the furnace. The city’s maximum temperature climbed to 43.2°C, nearly two degrees above the seasonal average, on Thursday, effectively ending the short-lived respite. While parts of Gujarat recently enjoyed a dip in the mercury due to local weather shifts, the India meteorological department (IMD) warns that the “cool” phase is officially over.The minimum temperature at 27.8°C was 1.1 degrees higher than normal.The immediate outlook is a steady simmer. Forecasters expect temperatures to hold steady around 43°C on Friday before a gradual climb of 2-3 degrees kicks in across the region. “Maximum temperatures are very likely to be above 40 degrees Celsius at isolated pockets of Gujarat during next seven days,” forecasts IMD. From Saturday onwards, several parts of the state are likely to experience heatwave conditions in several areas of north and central Gujarat and parts of Saurashtra.A yellow alert has been issued for Monday and Tuesday, with Ahmedabad expected to hit the 44°C mark as a heatwave sweeps through North and Central Gujarat.Ahmedabad isn’t the only city feeling the singe. Surendranagar topped the charts at a blistering 43.5°C, followed by Rajkot with 42.7°C, Kandla with 42.6°C, and Amreli with 42.3°C. It’s time to pull out the umbrellas and stay hydrated as summer is doubling down.
