Ahmedabad: Gujarat is expected to get some relief from the heat in the coming days, with the India Meteorological Department forecasting normal-to-below-normal maximum temperatures in April and for the April-June period across much of the state.“During April 2026, monthly maximum temperatures are likely to be normal to below normal over many parts of the country,” states the forecast by IMD, which has also indicated chances of isolated instances of a rise in heatwave days from April to June in Gujarat.The map released by IMD indicated normal-to-below-normal maximum temperatures in most parts of Kutch, north, central, and south Gujarat, and slightly above-normal temperatures in the Saurashtra peninsula in April. On the other hand, minimum temperatures will be significantly above normal in Saurashtra and Kutch, and slightly above normal in the rest of Gujarat, according to the map. Parts of central Gujarat and Saurashtra are likely to face heatwave conditions.Ahmedabad recorded sharp temperature fluctuations in March. After the maximum temperature touched 41.4 degrees celsius on March 10 and 11, which was 7.2 degrees above normal, it dropped to 31.4 degrees celsius on March 20, a day after light rain. The 10-degree swing over 10 days led to mixed seasonal conditions.Overall, the average maximum temperature stood at 35.8 degrees celsius, 1.5 degrees above normal, while the average minimum temperature was 22.5 degrees celsius, 3 degrees above normal. At present, Gujarat is under the influence of a Western Disturbance, which has brought light showers to parts of Saurashtra, north Gujarat, and south Gujarat, and cloudy weather elsewhere.The IMD has forecast rain on Friday in Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Porbandar, Junagadh, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Devbhumi Dwarka, Gir Somnath and Kutch. In Ahmedabad, the maximum temperature is expected to stay below normal.
