Ahmedabad records 44.4°C, Gandhinagar 45°

AHMEDABAD: Reeling under intense heat, Gujarat recorded above 40°C temperature at majority of the locations on Sunday. Surendranagar was the hottest with 45.3°C followed by Gandhinagar (45°C), Rajkot (44.5°C) and Ahmedabad (44.4°C).
According to India Meteorological Department (IMD) website, heat wave conditions prevailed in Rajkot and Surendranagar on Saturday whereas Rajkot, Amreli and Surendranagar experienced heat wave on Sunday which is likely to continue on Monday as well.There would be no change in maximum temperature over the region, mentioned the website, adding that the temperature would go above 44°C for Ahmedabad on Monday.
“The maximum temperature was 3.4 degrees above average whereas the minimum temperature of 29.1°C was 1.4 degrees up. The phenomenon means that the day records intense heat during afternoon but there is no respite for the citizens during night hours as well as it takes a lot more time for ambient cool down,” said an IMD official.
The high temperatures resulted in deserted streets in the city on Sunday as citizens preferred to venture out of homes after sundown. City-based hospitals also recorded increased cases of heat stroke. As per EMRI 108 data, Ahmedabad recorded 113 cases till 5pm which is seven cases per hour. EMRI had reported 190 cases on June 1, which recorded 44.2 degrees, or eight cases per hour.
City-based medical experts said that it is advisable to avoid direct heat and consume lot of fluids. Most cases attended by city-based hospitals were related to abdominal pain, blood pressure fluctuation, fall and dehydration.