Ahmedabad: Citizens of Ahmedabad woke up to a brief but intense dust storm in the early hours of Thursday and were greeted with sporadic showers in the evening. Though the abrupt change in weather caught residents off guard, it brought some relief as temperatures dipped at night.Several localities reported strong gusts accompanied by suspended dust, reducing visibility and leaving homes coated in a fine, albeit irritating, layer of grime.“The windows were rattling, and it broke my sleep around 5.30am. The house was filled with a layer of dust as we forgot to close the windows,” said Nishtha Sheth, a city-based professional, describing the sudden disruption. During the course of the day, people from several areas reported uprooting of trees.By evening, many parts of the city recorded drizzle or light showers, taking citizens by surprise. People were seen taking cover as sudden showers caught them off guard.Meanwhile, inbound Indigo flights from Kishangarh and Nashik, and an Air India flight from Mumbai, were diverted to Indore due to strong winds in Ahmedabad on Thursday. Smaller aircraft on the Kishangarh and Nashik routes are particularly vulnerable to high-speed wind conditions, making landing difficult.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) indicated that the prevailing conditions were linked to an upper air cyclonic circulation over west Rajasthan, along with a western disturbance over north Pakistan and adjoining regions. These systems have contributed to unstable weather across Gujarat, triggering dust-laden winds and increasing the likelihood of thunderstorms.The IMD has forecast light to moderate rain or thundershowers in the city over the next 24 hours.“Wind speeds are expected to remain strong, with thunderstorms accompanied by surface winds of 50–60 kmph, gusting up to 70 kmph, likely in parts of the region,” said A K Das, director, IMD Gujarat.On Thursday, Ahmedabad recorded a maximum temperature of 35.2°C, slightly below normal by 1.6 degrees, while the minimum temperature stood at 22.5°C, about 2.1 degrees above normal. Relative humidity levels ranged between 49% in the morning and 31% in the evening, contributing to the dry, dusty conditions.Across the state, isolated rainfall was reported in parts of Saurashtra and Kutch, with Anand recording the highest maximum temperature in the state at 36.1°C.The IMD has forecast a marginal dip in temperature over the next 24 hours, followed by a gradual rise later in the week. After the current spell of unsettled weather, dry conditions are expected to prevail across the state from March 21.
