Rajkot/Vadodara: Ending a prolonged wait, the south-west monsoon entered Gujarat and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted wet weather to prevail in south Gujarat and Saurashtra.On Wednesday, Sagbara taluka in Narmada district recorded 85mm of rainfall betweeb 6am to 6pm on Wednesday, the highest in the state. In the tribal belt of The Dangs district, Subir received 54mm of rain, while Ahwa recorded 46mm. The early morning downpour sent affected normal life in Sagbara as rivers overflowed and caused heavy waterlogging.Ashok Kumar Das, director of IMD Gujarat, said that the northern limit of southwest monsoon now passes through Surat, heralding official entry of monsoon in the state. “Conditions are favourable for its advancement in parts of Gujarat in the next 2-3 days. “The weather department has forecast heavy rainfall at isolated places Surat, Dang, Tapi, Navsari and Valsad, as well as the Union Territories of Daman and Dadra & Nagar Haveli. Similar conditions are also likely in parts of Saurashtra, particularly Amreli and Bhavnagar districts.The IMD has also predicted moderate thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds of 40-50kmph in Vadodara, Chhota Udepur, Narmada, Bharuch, along with the south Gujarat region. Similar weather conditions are expected in Rajkot, Junagadh, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Gir Somnath and Botad districts, as well as Diu.Meteorologists said the advancing monsoon is expected to strengthen over Gujarat in the coming days.
