Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heavy rain alert for Dewas, Harda, Betul, Pandhurna and Chhindwara on Wednesday, while Balaghat and Dindori have been placed under an extremely heavy rainfall alert.
A yellow alert for rain and thunderstorms has also been issued for several districts, including **Bhopal, Raisen, Sehore, Rajgarh, Vidisha, Indore, Jhabua, Alirajpur, Dhar, Burhanpur, Barwani, Khandwa, Khargone, Ujjain, Shajapur, Narmadapuram, Gwalior, Sheopur, Morena, Bhind, Datia, Shivpuri, Guna, Ashoknagar, Jabalpur, Katni, Narsinghpur, Seoni, Mandla, Rewa, Satna, Sidhi, Singrauli, Mauganj, Maihar, Shahdol, Umaria, Anuppur, Sagar, Panna, Damoh, Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh and Niwari. Light rain is likely in Neemuch, Mandsaur, Agar Malwa and Ratlam.
According to weather scientist Arun Sharma, the monsoon advanced further on Tuesday and reached most districts of the Jabalpur, Bhopal, Rewa and Shahdol divisions. He said the monsoon is expected to cover the remaining districts of the Bhopal, Sagar, Gwalior, Ujjain and Chambal divisions within the next two to four days.
The state received 88.2 mm (3.5 inches) of rain in June, which is 33% below the normal rainfall of 131.1 mm (5.1 inches). However, the weather department expects better rainfall in July, which usually brings around one-third of the season's total rain.
The normal annual rainfall in Madhya Pradesh is 37.3 inches, while Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Gwalior usually receive 38 to 39 inches during the monsoon season.
Rain was recorded in 23 districts on Tuesday. Satna received around 1.5 inches of rainfall, while showers were also reported from Bhopal, Betul, Dhar, Narmadapuram, Indore, Khargone, Chhindwara, Jabalpur, Mandla, Rewa, Sagar, Seoni, Sidhi, Balaghat, Pandhurna, Sehore, Shajapur, Dindori, Harda and Maihar.
The rainfall also brought down temperatures across the state. Bhopal recorded 30.6°C, Indore 33°C, Ujjain 35°C, Jabalpur 32°C, and Gwalior 40°C. Betul was the coolest at 26.2°C.
