Rain brings relief in Ahmedabad, more in store

A stormy wind accompanied by spells of rain, left Amdavadis in a tizzy late on Saturday evening. Two-wheeler riders and pedestrians were seen hunting for shelters on roads, even as hoardings crashed and eight trees were uprooted in the city. 

A spell of rain that lasted half an hour left certain city roads inundated for some time. Posh areas like Prahaladnagar road, Vastrapur, Manekbaug and Shivranjani crossroads were submerged for a while. A heavy traffic jam was seen at the Iskcon crossroads, where the ongoing construction of a flyover has shrunk the road by half. 

Jayant Pathak, a resident of Vastrapur who had to rush from his office on SG Highway to pick his daughter up, was shocked at the way strong winds were taking the city in their grip. "On my way back to Prahaladnagar garden, at least three trees had fallen, making driving difficult for me. The road was more or less inundated. However, I understand that it is necessary for the city to get its required share of rain," he said.

With a seasonal total of 62.5 mm rain noted in the city till July 4, which is about 31.1 mm less than normal, the city received a few showers of rain, measuring up to 20.4 mm, on Saturday. And this thundershower brought down the city's maximum temperature, which had soared to 40°C earlier this week, to 35.8°C.

A temporary weakening of monsoon that had occurred over Gujarat due to the western disturbances over north Pakistan, has subsided and good rains are expected, noted the India meteorological department (IMD). "The low pressure area over northwest Bay of Bengal has moved north westwards, enhancing rainfall activity over central India.