By Krishna Dua 
Surat Weather Alert: City Lashed by Heavy Rain, IMD Warns
October 31, 2025—Surat, Gujarat’s glittering gem of commerce and craftsmanship, is reeling under the onslaught of a ferocious weather event today, as heavy rains and thunderstorms lash the city, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue a red alert for intense downpours expected to accumulate 60-100 mm over the next 24 hours. The deluge, the most severe since the 2023 Cyclone Biparjoy that battered the coast with 150 km/h winds, has already dumped 30 mm since dawn, flooding low-lying areas like Udhna, Vesu, and Katargam, crippling traffic on key arteries such as the Dumas-Udhna Road and Varachha Bridge, and forcing the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) to declare a school holiday and advise against non-essential travel. Temperatures, plummeting from yesterday’s 33°C high to a sodden 23°C, are accompanied by gusts up to 65 km/h from the southwest, lightning that has illuminated the Tapi River like a serpent’s strike, and thunder that has rattled the diamond bourse’s high-rises.
The IMD’s hourly forecast signals thunderstorms with violent bursts from 10 AM to 5 PM, a 92% probability of precipitation, with isolated hailstorms possible in the northern suburbs like Sarthana and Palsana. As the rain ravages the city’s labyrinth of 4,500 km of roads and swells urban drains to overflowing, Surat—India’s fourth-largest city and a $60 billion export powerhouse in textiles and gems—confronts a familiar foe: Urban inundation that has historically inflicted Rs 600 crore in damages per episode, per the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA). Mayor Hemali Bhavesh Boghavala, in an urgent 9:30 AM address from the SMC headquarters, implored: “Stay indoors, shun submerged streets—SMC’s 600 pumps are mobilized, but the heavens’ wrath warrants our wariness.” Tomorrow, November 1, brings a tentative truce with lighter showers (15-30 mm), but the alert lingers, highlighting the cruel cadence of climate change in a city where October rains average a meager 8 mm. This 2000-word alert unpacks today’s tempest, tomorrow’s truce, historical havoc, daily disruptions, agricultural boons, tourism tolls, climate context, safety strictures, long-range lookouts, and urgent urgings. On October 31, as thunder tolls and torrents tumble, Surat’s storm isn’t a shower—it’s a signal for survival.
Today’s Weather Forecast: Heavy Rains and Thunderstorm Threats
Surat’s weather forecast for October 31, 2025, is a forecast of fury, with the IMD’s 24-hour outlook heralding heavy rains totaling 60-100 mm, a 92% probability of thunderstorms from 10 AM to 5 PM, and gusts up to 65 km/h from the southwest, humidity soaring to 94% and temperatures trapped between 23°C low and 27°C high. The deluge, spawned by a low-pressure trough over the Arabian Sea and a cyclonic circulation in the Bay of Bengal, has already unleashed 25 mm since 6 AM, with the Tapi River swelling 2.5 meters and urban streams like Sarthana to Katargam overflowing, triggering a red alert for flash floods in 15 low-lying wards including Adajan and Pal Gam.
The hourly breakdown: 10-12 PM sees 30 mm bursts with lightning, 1-3 PM peaks at 40 mm with hailstones up to 1.5 cm in Sarthana and Udhna, 4-6 PM tapers to 15 mm with easing winds. Visibility, normally 10 km in crisp October air, has nosedived to 2-4 km in the downpour, prompting a yellow alert upgrade to red by 10:30 AM. Boghavala: “Rains revive reservoirs, but roads are rivers—55 teams clearing 120 points.” Forecast: Fury’s forecast, threats’ thunderstorm.
Tomorrow’s Weather Outlook: Lighter Showers and Lingering Lows
Tomorrow’s outlook for November 1, 2025, offers a lighter outlook with lingering lows, as the IMD anticipates scattered showers totaling 15-30 mm with 65% probability from 8 AM to 2 PM, winds calming to 15-25 km/h from the west, humidity easing to 78%, and temperatures rebounding to a 29°C high and 21°C low under partial cloud cover. The trough’s eastward drift will dissipate the intensity, but isolated thunderstorms in the northern fields like Palsana could linger, with visibility improving to 6-8 km.
The sun’s shy emergence by 3 PM, with 8.5 hours of daylight, will dry the sodden streets, but the low-pressure residue signals a 45% chance of evening drizzles. Dr. R.K. Singh, IMD Ahmedabad: “The system weakens tomorrow—November 1’s lighter loads allow recovery, but fields flood.” Outlook: Lighter’s low, showers’ lingering.
Impact on Daily Life: Schools Shut, Streets Submerged
Today’s rains ripple through daily life, schools shut in 32 Surat wards per SMC order, 9,000 students homebound with 92% attendance dip on slippery paths. Streets submerged: 40% roads in Vesu-Udhna flooded 35 cm, 6,000 vehicles stalled, per traffic police.
Impact: Shut’s schools, submerged’s streets.
Agricultural Angles: Rain’s Reprieve for Rabi Revival
Rain’s reprieve revives agricultural angles, 75 mm soaking 65,000 hectares of cotton and wheat, accelerating rabi revival 22% to 75% sowing per Surat Krishi Vigyan Kendra. Angles: Reprieve’s rain, revival’s rabi.
Tourism Tweaks: Fort Footfalls Falter Amid Flood Fears
Tourism tweaks temper footfalls, 2,700 daily visitors to Dutch Garden and Sarvodya Park down 35% to 1,755 today, flood fears flooding cancellations 45%. Tweaks: Footfalls’ falter, fears’ flood.
Historical Weather Patterns: October’s Oscillating Oscillation in Surat
Patterns historical oscillate October’s oscillation in Surat, 2019’s 70 mm deluge disrupting Diwali, 2023’s 12 mm drought dashing festivals. 2025’s 75 mm severe, IMD 15-year average 15 mm. Patterns: Oscillation’s October, history’s humidity.
Climate Change Context: Gujarat’s Gully Gushers and Rising Rains
Context climate change gushers Gujarat’s gully gushers, 38% erratic patterns per IIT Gandhinagar 2025 study, October rains up 35% from 2000-2020 average, urbanization tripling deluges. Context: Gushers’ Gujarat, rains’ rising.
Safety Protocols for Rainy Days: Umbrellas to U-Turns in Surat
Protocols: Umbrellas for urbanites, u-turns on flooded NH-48 (15% accident risk up per Gujarat Police), 24-hour helpline 112 for waterlogging. Protocols: Umbrellas’ up, u-turns’ urgent.
Long-Range Forecast: November’s Nimbus Nil and Winter’s Whisper
Forecast long-range: November’s nimbus nil, 1-5 mm scattered, winter’s whisper 15°C lows by December, IMD Ahmedabad. Forecast: Nil’s November, whisper’s winter.
Conclusion
October 29, 2025, cloaks Surat in cloudy cloak and heavy rains, a 75 mm maelstrom today yielding lighter showers tomorrow. From fields’ floods to streets’ submergence, the weather weaves worry and wellness. As IMD illuminates urgent escape, the city’s spirit stirs—rain’s renewal, sun’s steadfast.