Ahmedabad/Rajkot: Met Department has issued heavy rains warnings at isolated places in Gujarat in the next 24 yours even as the state today witnessed light to heavy rains in several parts including Saurashtra and central Gujarat and completed three fourth (75.01%) of its average monsoon rains this morning.

Though the met department has not issued any port or coastal warning so far yet owing to strong currents many fishermen in Amreli and other districts of Saurashtra and South Gujarat have anchored their boats as a precautionary measure.

The met bulletin issued today says that Heavy rains were very likely at isolated places over Gujarat region, Saurashtra and Diu, Daman Dadra Nagar Haveli in the next 24 hours. It has held an upper air cyclonic circulation over South West Madhya Pradesh responsible for it.

Gir-Somnath, Junagadh, Bhavnagar, Amreli, Rajkot, Botad and Porbandar in Saurashtra witnessed rains today with some places recording (locally) around 5 inches of downpour. Bhimdeval, Rampara, Jasadhar, Gondal, Jetpur, Dhoraji, Jasdan, Khanderi, Bhesan, Visavadar, Mendarana, Vanthali and Keshod experienced one to five inches of rains. Vadodara, Mahisagar, Anand in Central Gujarat and Aravalli in North Gujarat also witnessed some rain. Surat and some other places in South Gujarat also saw rains. At many places the low lying areas has seen water logging.

The rain at most of the places was accompanied by strong winds and thunders.

The recent spell of downpour is like ‘drops of nectar’ for the farmers especially those whose standing crops of groundnut and others were badly in need of it. It has given a new lease of life to the crops.

In the last 24 hours a total of 137 talukas of 21 districts had witnessed light to medium rains with Rajula in Amreli district seeing the maximum 88 mm (little over three inches).

With this the average rain this monsoon in the state has reached 75.01%.

The current spell of rains has also given some respite from humid hot weather in the areas that has witnessed considerable downpour.

PTI