A day after the southwest monsoon officially entered 15 districts of Madhya Pradesh, its advance temporarily stalled on Wednesday. However, widespread rainfall continued across the state, with heavy showers and thunderstorms reported from several districts, including Shajapur. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued rain and thunderstorm alerts for 45 districts on Friday. According to the Meteorological Centre, conditions remain favourable for further advancement of the monsoon. It is expected to move into the Bhopal and Ujjain divisions on Friday and cover the remaining parts of the state over the next few days. The monsoon is likely to reach the Gwalior, Chambal, Sagar, Rewa and Shahdol divisions last. Orange alert for strong winds and rain The IMD has issued an orange alert for thunderstorms accompanied by winds of up to 60 kmph and heavy rainfall in Agar-Malwa and Sehore districts. Light to heavy rainfall is likely in Bhopal, Raisen, Rajgarh, Vidisha, Indore, Jhabua, Alirajpur, Dhar, Burhanpur, Barwani, Khandwa, Khargone, Ujjain, Neemuch, Mandsaur, Ratlam, Shajapur, Dewas, Narmadapuram, Betul, Harda, Jabalpur, Katni, Narsinghpur, Chhindwara, Pandhurna, Seoni, Balaghat, Mandla, Dindori, Rewa, Satna, Sidhi, Singrauli, Mauganj, Maihar, Shahdol, Umaria, Anuppur, Sagar, Panna, Damoh and Chhatarpur. Meanwhile, Gwalior, Sheopur, Morena, Bhind, Datia, Shivpuri, Guna, Ashoknagar, Niwari and Tikamgarh are likely to witness dry weather with bright sunshine. Shajapur records over 2 inches of rain On Thursday, Shajapur recorded 51 mm (more than 2 inches) of rainfall, the highest in the state. Sheopur and Balaghat received around half an inch of rain. Thunderstorms and showers also affected Indore, Khandwa, Shivpuri, Chhindwara, Balaghat, Maihar and Khargone. An elderly man died after being struck by lightning in Shajapur. In Indore, authorities have restricted entry to vulnerable tourist spots until August 22 due to weather-related safety concerns. Temperatures drop across central and western MP Persistent cloud cover and rainfall brought down daytime temperatures across several districts. Khargone was the coolest at 29.8°C, followed by Betul (30.5°C), Seoni (31°C), Khandwa (31.1°C), Pachmarhi (32.4°C), Dhar (32.6°C), Narmadapuram (33.4°C), Chhindwara (34°C), Shajapur (34.2°C), Raisen (34.6°C), Shivpuri (35°C), Sagar (35.7°C) and Umaria (35.9°C). Among the state’s five major cities, Bhopal recorded 32.8°C, Indore 33.9°C, Ujjain 33.8°C, Jabalpur 38.1°C and Gwalior remained the hottest at 40.5°C. Monsoon reaches 15 districts The IMD has officially declared the arrival of the southwest monsoon in Alirajpur, Indore, Harda, Dhar, Betul, Khandwa, Burhanpur, Chhindwara, Pandhurna, Khargone, Seoni, Balaghat, Mandla, Barwani and Dindori. Several districts have already received more than four inches of rainfall since the onset of the season. Rainfall deficit narrows The recent spell of rain has improved Madhya Pradesh’s seasonal rainfall statistics. Between June 1 and June 26, the state was expected to receive 91.7 mm of rainfall but has recorded 52.2 mm so far, leaving it with a 43% rainfall deficit. As of June 24, the deficit stood at nearly 50%, indicating an improvement of seven percentage points over the past two days. District-wise rainfall pattern Most districts, including Anuppur, Balaghat, Chhatarpur, Chhindwara, Damoh, Dindori, Jabalpur, Katni, Mandla, Narsinghpur, Panna, Rewa, Sagar, Satna, Seoni, Shahdol, Sidhi, Singrauli, Tikamgarh, Alirajpur, Barwani, Betul, Bhind, Datia, Dewas, Dhar, Guna, Gwalior, Harda, Jhabua, Khandwa, Khargone, Morena, Narmadapuram, Raisen, Rajgarh, Ratlam, Shivpuri, Ujjain and Vidisha continue to remain below normal rainfall levels. Above-normal rainfall has been recorded in Bhopal, Ashoknagar, Agar-Malwa, Mandsaur, Neemuch, Sheopur, Burhanpur, Indore, Shajapur and Sehore. Rain likely to continue for four more days The Meteorological Department has forecast widespread rain activity across Madhya Pradesh over the next four days as the southwest monsoon continues its gradual advance across the state. Post navigation 3 killed as Tazia touches high-voltage power line in Ratlam:Over 10 suffer electric shock, 5 critical; around 200 people joined the Muharram procession Bhopal MLA’s son assaulted outside MLA rest house:Police arrest 4; accused’s mother alleges custodial beating
