Uncommon Cold Over Gujarat: Saurashtra Dips To Record Single Digit
Cold wave conditions are not very common during the winter season in the state of Gujarat, more so for Saurashtra and Central & South Gujarat. Mild cold, keeping minimum temperatures in double digits, is more the norm than the exception. However, night temperatures plunging to low single digits are very unusual.
Amreli, in Saurashtra near Somnath and Junagarh, plunged to a low of 6°C this morning. Rajkot also dipped to 8.4°C, the lowest so far this season. Even the state capital Gandhinagar dropped to 10.5°C, once again the lowest of this winter season. Abnormally, the coastal town of Porbandar registered a minimum of 8.9°C, about 5°C below normal. Naliya in the Kutch region also crashed to 7.4°C, about 4°C lower than the average.
Amreli has a past record of tumbling to single digits during January in each season. It has done so without fail for at least the last two decades, with the exception of 2024. Amreli, named in ancient Gujarati as Amrvalli, had recorded its lowest temperature of 10.4°C on 03 Jan 2024. The small town of interior Saurashtra has a historic record of breaching the 6°C mark only once in the last two decades, when it registered a low of 5.7°C on 06 Jan 2014.
Cold wave conditions in most parts of the state are likely to abate soon. A pair of western disturbances arriving over the northern mountains and plains shortly will push the seasonal anticyclone a little away from Rajasthan. Also, an induced cyclonic circulation will appear over Rajasthan and adjoining parts. This change will alter the wind pattern, and low-level southwesterly winds will sweep the region, bringing moisture and slightly warmer air. Temperatures are set to rise and quickly climb to double digits, in the low to mid-teens, commencing the approaching weekend.
