Gujarat is on the boil with the temperature soaring and thrashing 40 degrees mark rather early in the season. Bhuj, the largest city of Kutch recorded the first 40 of the month over Gujarat. Few more towns missed the mark by a whisker: Amreli 39.4, Rajkot 39.3, Keshod 39.4, Sasan Gir 39.4. All these temperatures are 5-7 degrees above the normal and nearly licensed for heatwave conditions over most parts of Gujarat.
Heatwave criteria need a temperature of 40 degrees and departure from the normal by 4.5 to 6.4 degrees. Such conditions are required to be met by at least 2 stations in the subdivision for 2 consecutive days. The heatwave is declared on the 2nd day. Also, the heatwave is announced when the mercury scales 45 degrees or more in any region, irrespective of departure from the normal.
Trail of western disturbances moving across the northern parts has pushed the anti-cyclone southward over parts of Gujarat and Konkan region. The flow pattern is disturbed and winds have become very light and limited to less than 10kmph. There is hardly any churning or mixing stagnating the heat over most parts of Gujarat including some coastal stations. No respite is likely in the next 3-4 days.
