Ahmedabad, March 19 Several parts of Gujarat experienced unseasonal rainfall on Thursday, with the meteorological department forecasting more showers in the coming days due to a western disturbance in the Arabian Sea.
Rainfall was recorded in talukas spread across Rajkot, Junagadh, Amreli, Devbhumi Dwarka, Kutch, Surendranagar, Jamnagar, Morbi, Patan, Porbandar, and Botad districts, according to data shared by the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).
In the 12 hours ending at 6 pm on Thursday, the talukas of Rajkot and Bhesan in Junagadh received the highest rainfall of 35 mm, followed by 22 mm in the Bagasara taluka of Amreli, it said.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a forecast of light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms in parts of the state until 8:30 am on Saturday.
"Light to moderate rains or thunderstorms are likely in the districts of Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Aravalli, Panchmahal, Dahod, Mahisagar, Chhota Udepur, Amreli, Bhavnagar, and Kutch. Dry weather is very likely in the remaining districts of the region," an official release stated.
The rains also brought some relief from the scorching heat.
Ahmedabad recorded a maximum temperature of 35.2 degrees Celsius on Thursday, 1.6 degrees Celsius below normal, while the minimum temperature rose to 22.5 degrees Celsius.
Similar trends were observed in Vadodara and Gandhinagar, where the days were slightly cooler but the nights remained warmer than usual.
Surat's maximum temperature on Thursday was 33.8 degrees Celsius, 2.3 degrees Celsius below normal.
Considering the changing weather conditions, the state agriculture department issued a special advisory suggesting precautionary measures to protect harvested and standing crops from potential damage.