Kiss of rain for scorched Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad: The south west monsoon made its official official entry into Gujarat on Wednesday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) Gujarat office declared the arrival of monsoon in the state on June 22. One person was killed by lightning in Sabarkantha district. The normal official date of monsoon arrival in Gujarat is June 15.
Ahmedabad, which was blistered by record-breaking heat with temperatures rising as high as 48 degrees celsius, had pleasant smatterings of rain in many areas on Wednesday.
Ahmedabad city received 5.5 mm of rain, with light showers in Paldi, Income Tax, Satellite, Vastrapur, Navrangpura, Nikol, Chandlodia, Ranip and other areas. The city's North Zone received them most rainfall - 16.50 mm -on Wednesday.
The first rains also felled one tree, near Ratanba School in the Thakkarbapanagar area of the eastern part of the city.
"The south west monsoon has landed over Gujarat. The northern limit of the monsoon presently passes through Veraval, Surat, south of Vadodara and Dahod. The monsoon has covered all districts of South Gujarat and will bring scattered light to moderate rains in Saurashtra, east and central Gujarat till Thursday morning," said IMD Gujarat director Jayanta Sarkar.
Sarkar said that the rains will be subdued on Thursday and Friday. From Saturday onwards, more rain in expected. "There is no system active currently but an off-shore trough is expected to produce rains," said Sarkar.
Meanwhile, sporadic showers were recorded in many parts of Saurashtra and a few parts of north Gujarat on Wednesday.
Aruna Khant, 17, died after she and three others were struck by lightning while working in a farm on the outskirts of Demai village in Himmatnagar taluka of Sabarkantha.
A buffalo was also killed by lightning in Kalipura village of Prantij taluka of Sabarkantha. Vijaynagar and Himmatnagar towns in north Gujarat got 21 mm and 22 mm of rainfall respectively on Wednesday.
According to flood control room officials in Saurashtra, Visavadar in Junagadh received 20 mm rainfall while Khambha in Amreli got 10 mm. Rain also occurred in Bhavnagar, Rajkot and Surendranagar districts.
On Tuesday night, Muli in Surendranagar had received 52 mm rain, while Padadhari in Rajkot got 33 mm. Showers were also witnessed in some places in Kutch district.