Why Vadodara is colder than Naliya: Local conditions, wind pattern, cloud   

As per India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, on November 9, 2024, the minimum temperature in Gandhinagar was 19.8 degrees Celsius, 20.4 degrees Celsius Vadodara and Naliya was a notch colder at 19.5 degrees Celsius.

Among the major reasons cited by weather experts for this unusual phenomenon are cloudy nights, wind patterns, humidity and green cover.

“Different cities in Gujarat can become colder than usual on some days because night temperatures depend more on local conditions than on geography alone,” Dr Narottam Sahoo, Advisor, Gujarat Council on Science and Technology (GUJCOST), told The Indian Express.

Wind patterns
Light north-easterly winds bring cool and dry air to central Gujarat, making it colder. At the same time, the coastal or western parts get slightly warmer sea-influenced air.
“Easterly winds are blowing in the east and central parts of Gujarat while westerly to north westerly winds in the western parts such as Naliya, which also get coastal winds. This is cited as the reason for the cold wave-like conditions in parts of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. At present, northeasterly to easterly winds are prevailing at lower levels in Gujarat,” IMD regional director A K Das told The Indian Express.

Clear vs cloudy nights
Cities with clear skies and calm winds lose heat faster at night. They cool down more than cities that have even a slight cloud cover, which works like a blanket. This is also factored in while looking at reasons for the shift in temperatures in the state.

Dry versus moist air
Dry inland air (common in Gandhinagar or Vadodara) cools quickly. Moist air near the coast (like Kutch/Naliya) cools slowly, so minimum temperatures stay higher, points out Sahoo.

City layout and greenery
Greener and more open cities like Gandhinagar and Vadodara cool down faster at night than dense and built-up areas. Further the local ground conditions such as areas with farms, open land, or recent soil moisture cool more quickly than dry, rocky or urban areas.
Vadodara likely had clear, calm and dry conditions, while Naliya had some cloud or moisture, which reduced its night-time cooling.
This pattern has been seen repeatedly because weak western disturbances bring clouds and moisture to Kutch first, while interior Gujarat often stays clear and dry, leading to lower minimum temperatures there, according to a climate expert at Space Applications Centre (SAC) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Ahmedabad.

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