Year Ends with Rain in Gujarat, Rabi Crops Face Risk

Unseasonal Rain Hits Gujarat on Year-End, Farmers on Alert

On the final day of 2025, an abrupt weather shift triggered by a Western Disturbance has brought unseasonal rain, locally known as mavthu, to large parts of Gujarat, disrupting New Year’s Eve plans and deepening anxiety among farmers already reeling from a difficult agricultural year.

Since the morning of December 31, light to moderate showers have affected several districts across Saurashtra and Kutch, including Porbandar, Devbhumi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Morbi, and Kutch, while isolated rainfall has been reported in North Gujarat’s Banaskantha, Patan, and Sabarkantha. Ahmedabad has largely escaped rain but remains under dense cloud cover and fog, leading to a noticeable drop in daytime temperatures.

The timing of this rainfall is especially worrying as it coincides with the peak growth stage of key rabi crops such as cumin (jeeru), mustard (rayado), and chickpeas (chana), which are highly sensitive to excess moisture and prone to fungal infections and wilting, while harvested cotton and groundnut stocks lying in open fields or APMC yards face the risk of spoilage.

The situation is particularly grim in the context of 2025, a year in which Gujarat’s farming sector has already suffered crop losses exceeding Rs.1,500 crore due to earlier spells of unseasonal rain in October and November. Adding to the concern, the India Meteorological Department has warned that once the rain subsides, a sharp cold wave will grip the state between January 1 and 3, 2026, with minimum temperatures expected to fall by 3°C to 5°C and northern districts potentially seeing lows of 7°C to 9°C, increasing the threat of frost damage to vegetables.

With rain, fog, and falling temperatures converging at year-end, authorities have advised farmers to secure harvested produce and avoid irrigation or spraying, warned travellers of low visibility on highways, and cautioned that outdoor New Year celebrations in cities like Rajkot, Jamnagar, and Dwarka may face interruptions, underscoring how this sudden weather turn has cast a long shadow over both festive cheer and rural livelihoods.