Severe cold tightens grip across Madhya Pradesh:Icy winds, dense fog and jet stream decreases temperature to below 5°C

The impact of severe cold prevailing across North India is now being strongly felt in Madhya Pradesh. With the arrival of icy winds, minimum temperatures across the state have dropped sharply, touching as low as 4.6 degrees Celsius. On Wednesday–Thursday night, temperatures in four cities fell below the 5-degree mark, while a cold wave also affected Shajapur. On Friday morning, dense fog conditions were observed across several northern districts. According to the Meteorological Department, icy winds have intensified the cold, with Gwalior-Chambal, Rewa, Shahdol and Sagar divisions being the worst affected. Moderate to dense fog continues to prevail in many districts, while night temperatures have also declined noticeably in Bhopal and Indore. Jet Stream winds driving the spell Meteorologists attribute the sharp fall in temperatures to powerful jet stream winds blowing at a speed of around 232 kmph at an altitude of 12.6 kilometres above mean sea level over west-north India. These winds, often described as rivers of air in the upper atmosphere, are significantly influencing weather conditions in Madhya Pradesh. Meanwhile, the Western Disturbance, which had been active since January 16, has moved forward. A fresh Western Disturbance is likely to affect northwest India from January 19. If this system intensifies, cloudy conditions and rainfall are expected in Madhya Pradesh after January 20. Kalyanpur coldest, mercury dips across districts During Wednesday–Thursday night, Kalyanpur in Shahdol district recorded the lowest temperature in the state at 4.6 degrees Celsius. Shajapur, Karaundi in Katni district and Mandsaur recorded minimum temperatures between 4.7 and 4.8 degrees. Other low readings included 5.5 degrees in Rajgarh, 6.2 degrees in Rewa, 6.6 degrees in Datia and 6.8 degrees in Pachmarhi. Temperatures also remained below 10 degrees in Umaria, Naugaon, Mandla, Khajuraho, Satna, Damoh, Sidhi, Raisen, Sheopur, Shivpuri, Guna, Malajkhand and Ratlam. Indore coldest among major cities Among the five major cities of the state, Indore emerged as the coldest, with the minimum temperature dropping to 6.8 degrees. In Bhopal, Gwalior, Ujjain and Jabalpur, temperatures once again slipped below 10 degrees. On Wednesday–Thursday night, Bhopal recorded 8 degrees, Gwalior 7.4 degrees, Ujjain 9 degrees and Jabalpur 9.8 degrees. Dense fog disrupts transport On Friday morning, dense fog was reported in Gwalior, Morena, Bhind, Datia, Niwari, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Panna, Satna and Rewa. Moderate fog was also present in districts including Bhopal, Guna, Indore, Ujjain, Rajgarh, Ratlam, Jabalpur, Sagar, Shajapur, Sehore and Raisen. Earlier, dense fog in Gwalior reduced visibility to nearly 1,000 metres. Fog has disrupted rail services, with trains travelling from Delhi to Bhopal, Indore and Ujjain running behind schedule. Malwa, Jhelum and Sachkhand Express have been most affected, along with several others including Punjab Mail and Jan Shatabdi. January continues severe cold trend This winter season has been exceptional in Madhya Pradesh. November recorded the coldest conditions in 84 years, while December broke a 25-year-old record. January has followed a similar pattern, breaking Bhopal’s 10-year cold record. Experts note that the state has already witnessed sub-zero temperatures this January. Along with intense cold, dense fog and cold wave conditions continue to dominate. The Meteorological Department states that December and January are peak months for severe cold, with frequent cold winds from North India and occasional winter rainfall due to Western Disturbances—a trend clearly evident this year.