Large parts of Gujarat hit by rain, thunderstorm; one killed

In a sudden change of weather, large parts of Gujarat were hit by rain, thunderstorm and strong winds this evening, taking people reeling under intense heat by surprise, while one person was killed in a mishap.
The climate across the state, except south Gujarat, started changing after 6 pm, as strong winds swept across North Gujarat, Saurashtra and Kutch regions, bringing the temperatures down.
Besides unseasonal rains, hail struck at several places, including Chotila in Surendrangar, Dehgam in Gandhinagar and some parts of Kutch.
The thunderstorm-hit districts included Ahmedabad, Amreli, Gandhinagar, Junagadh, Rajkot, Kutch and Patan.
Strong winds uprooted trees, triggered wall collapse and brought down roadside hoardings.

In Ahmedabad, more than 30 incidents of uprooting of tree were reported. Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services (AFES) also received calls regarding wall collapse and falling of hoardings.

"At many places, trees and pieces of hoardings fell on parked vehicles and open roads. We are doing our best to restore order," said Rajesh Bhatt, Additional Chief Fire Officer of AFES.
In a tragic incident, a large tree fell on a bus stop in Nava Vadaj here, killing one person standing under it. Another person was injured in the mishap, said an AFES official.
According to Director of Ahmedabad Meteorological Centre Jayanta Sarkar, rain may continue till tomorrow.

"It is a pre-monsoon activity and usually happens when too much moisture gathers in the air. It happened last year also. As per our forecast, cloudy weather may continue till Monday. From Tuesday, it will be back to normal," said Sarkar.