The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted extremely heavy rainfall in Gujarat on Saturday and Sunday.
"Exceptionally heavy rainfall at isolated places very likely in the district of Gujarat region namely Sabarkantha during next 24 hours," a notification from IMD read.
Exceptionally high downpours (≥ 30 cm) are expected over the Gujarat region, the IMD said in a tweet.
Heavy rainfall has been reported from across the state on Saturday.
Heavy to very heavy rains very likely at a few places in the districts of Gujarat region namely Patan, Gandhinagar, Kheda, Ahmedabad, Mahisagar, Dang, Navsari; in the districts of Saurashtra- Kutch namely Jamnagar, Porbandar, Junagadh, Morbi, Dwarka and Botad during next 24 hours.
Heavy rains very likely at a few places in the districts of Gujarat region namely Anand, Panchmahal, Dahod, Vadodara, Chhota Udepur, Narmada, Bharuch, Surat and Tapi; in the districts of Saurashtra- Kutch namely Amreli, Bhavnagar, Gir Somnath, Kutch and in Diu during next 24 hours.
Heavy rains were also reported from Ahmedabad, Aravalli, Mehsana, Jamnagar, Patan, Dahod, Junagadh, and Vadodara districts in the state.
According to media reports, the IMD has issued red alert for Kutch districts, while orange alert has been issued for Surendranagar, Patan, Banaskantha, Mehsana, Sabarkantha, Gandhinagar, Aravalli, Mahisagar and Morbi districts.
A.K. Das of the Ahmedabad Weather Centre has been quoted as saying that there are chances of rain in various districts in the state for the next seven days.
On Saturday, a red alert was issued for Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Aravalli, Mehsana, Valsad, and Daman and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
The IMD, in a social media post, has asked people to avoid travelling through low-lying or flood-prone areas. Farmers have been requested to secure their farming equipment and livestock and delay fieldwork if possible.
It has also asked people to follow alerts from IMD and state authorities to stay safe.