Mercury dips below 40°C, breaks 21-day heat streak in Ahmedabad on Thursday, May 4

Ahmedabad: The city breathed a collective sigh of relief on Monday as a passing weather trough brought a much-needed dip in temperature, breaking a nearly month-long streak of 40-degree days. But don't pack away the umbrellas and glucose just yet; the IMD warns that this breezy interlude was merely a temporary pause. With the heat action plan already flashing amber, Ahmedabad is bracing for a return to scorching 42°C highs by the weekend.The welcome respite saw the mercury settle at 39.4°C — 2.3 degrees below normal — halting a gruelling 21-day stretch of temperatures consistently above the 40°C mark. This momentary cooling was triggered by a trough extending from an upper air cyclonic circulation over Rajasthan and Gujarat. However, the relief did not extend to the nights. The minimum temperature remained a sticky 28.2°C, two degrees higher than the seasonal average.The reprieve is expected to evaporate as early as Tuesday, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) projecting a swift climb back to 41°C. Under the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation's (AMC) Heat Action Plan, residents have been put on notice for maximum temperatures ranging between 41°C and 42°C through May 10. The minimum temperatures are likely to be around 29°C.While Ahmedabad enjoyed its brief cooling, Rajkot took the title of the state's hottest city on Monday at 42.2°C, followed closely by Surendranagar at 41.8°C, Bhuj at 41°C, Bhavnagar at 40.7°C, and Amreli at 40.5°C. The IMD's seven-day outlook indicates that temperatures will remain stubbornly above 40°C in isolated pockets across Gujarat, with coastal regions facing an additional layer of discomfort from hot and humid conditions forecasted for May 9 and 10.