IMD Issues Red Alert For Gujarat: Heavy Rain, Thunderstorms Forecast Over Next 24 Hours

IMD issued a red alert for Gujarat with heavy rain, 70 kmph winds, and thunderstorms forecast in several districts over the next 24 hours.

A woman with a child wades through a road amid rain. (ANI)

Gujarat is bracing for intense rainfall, thunderstorms, and strong winds over the next 24 hours, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a red alert for several districts. 

The warning follows the simultaneous activation of multiple weather systems influencing the region.

According to the latest IMD bulletin, districts under the red alert include Bhavnagar, Amreli, Ahmedabad, Anand, Valsad, Daman, and Dadra Nagar Haveli.

These areas are expected to experience severe thunderstorms, lightning, and surface winds reaching 60-70 kmph in gusts, along with heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated locations.

An orange alert has also been issued for a broader swathe of the state, encompassing Banaskantha, Patan, Mehsana, Sabarkantha, Gandhinagar, Aravalli, Kheda, Panchmahal, Dahod, Mahisagar, Vadodara, Chhota Udepur, Narmada, Bharuch, Surat, Dang, Navsari, and Tapi.

All districts of the Saurashtra-Kutch region, including Surendranagar, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Porbandar, Junagadh, Morbi, Dwarka, Gir Somnath, Botad, Kutch, and Diu, are also on alert for moderate to heavy rainfall within the same timeframe.

Looking ahead to May 8, the IMD has maintained the orange alert for thunderstorms and heavy rain in Sabarkantha, Aravalli, Anand, Mahisagar, Bharuch, Valsad, Daman, and Dadra Nagar Haveli, as well as in the Saurashtra districts of Rajkot, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Gir Somnath, and Diu.

The rest of the state is expected to see moderate to light showers.

Rainfall activity is expected to gradually ease from May 9 onwards, although isolated areas across Gujarat may continue to receive light to moderate rain until at least May 13. The current weather instability is attributed to a combination of atmospheric systems.

A cyclonic circulation is active over northwest Madhya Pradesh at about 0.9 km above mean sea level.

Additionally, a trough extends from the northeast Arabian Sea to west Madhya Pradesh across Gujarat, ranging from 3.1 to 5.8 km above sea level. Another trough, oriented east-west, runs from southwest Rajasthan to north Jharkhand, affecting parts of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.