Gandhinagar: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) today issued a red alert for four districts of Gujarat, warning of severe thunderstorms with lightning, surface winds gusting at 60–70 kmph, hailstorms, and heavy to very heavy rainfall.

This alert follows the development of an upper air cyclonic circulation over southwest Rajasthan, which has triggered rain, hail, and severe dust storms across parts of Gujarat over the past 24 hours.

According to IMD, this unusual spell of unseasonal rain during May — typically the peak of the summer season — is expected to continue until May 13, with widespread light to moderate rainfall likely across all districts of the state.

In its latest bulletin, the IMD has issued a red alert for Bharuch, Surat, Amreli, and Bhavnagar, indicating a high probability of severe thunderstorms with strong winds, hail, and intense rainfall.

An orange alert has been issued for Banaskantha, Patan, Anand, Panchmahal, Vadodara, Chhota Udepur, Narmada, Dang, Navsari, Valsad, Tapi, and the Union Territories of Daman and Dadra & Nagar Haveli, as well as Surendranagar, Rajkot, Junagadh, Morbi, Gir Somnath, Botad, Kutch, and Diu.

The remaining districts, including Ahmedabad, the state capital Gandhinagar, Jamnagar, and Porbandar, have been placed under a yellow alert for the next 24 hours ending 8:30 am on Wednesday.

For May 7, there is no red alert, but an orange alert is in effect for Kutch, Morbi, Surendranagar, Rajkot, Botad, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Sabarkantha, Aravalli, Vadodara, Bharuch, Narmada, and Surat. The rest of the state will remain on yellow alert.

On May 8, moderate thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds (50–60 kmph), along with moderate to heavy rain, are likely in Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Chhota Udepur, Narmada, Bharuch, and Surat; as well as Rajkot, Amreli, and Bhavnagar in Saurashtra. These districts are on orange alert, while the remaining districts are on yellow alert with the possibility of isolated moderate rainfall.

On May 9 and 10, all 33 districts of Gujarat will be under a yellow alert, with light thunderstorms, lightning, gusty winds (40–50 kmph), and light to moderate rain expected at isolated locations. DeshGujarat