Vayu has cooling effect on Ahmedabad

AHMEDABAD: While the state evaded a potential calamity as Cyclone Vayu changed course and moved away from the Gujarat coast, residents of Ahmedabad had reason to rejoice on Thursday, with the city getting a spell of light rain. The rain also brought much-needed respite from heat, with the maximum temperature in Ahmedabad dropping by a 7.1 degrees.
According to the Gujarat office of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the maximum temperature in the city fell to 35.6°C, 3.2 degrees below normal.The minimum temperature remained at 26.6°C. “The rain in Ahmedabad was caused by the effect of the outer fringe of Cyclone Vayu, coupled with a western disturbance,” said a senior IMD Gujarat official.
Light to moderate rain and thundershowers very likely at a few places in the Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat, Navsari, Valsad and Daman, Dadra Nagar Haveli, according to the IMD forecast. Dry weather is very likely in the remaining districts of the Gujarat region.
“The dip in temperature was a pleasant surprise. I didn’t have to go to work so I treated myself to a movie while enjoying the breeze and the view from my balcony,” said Gauri Wagenaar, a faculty member at a city-based design institute.
With the effects of Vayu prevailing along coastal Gujarat, the maximum temperature in all cities and towns across the state dipped below 40°C on Thursday. Naliya in Kutch recorded the highest temperature, 38.6°C, followed by Gandhinagar at 37.3°C.