Pre-monsoon storms and rain break records in Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh continues to see heavy pre-monsoon activity. On Wednesday, many districts experienced rain and thunderstorms. The weather department has issued a yellow alert for Thursday in 27 districts, including Gwalior and Ratlam. Storms with wind speeds of up to 50 km/h are expected.

The state has been witnessing rain and storms since April 26. This pattern continued for 40 days straight. The forecast suggests similar conditions will last until June 8.

Gwalior, Sheopur, Morena, Bhind, Datia, Niwari, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Ashoknagar, Vidisha, Sagar, Katni, Umaria, Dindori, Mandla, Seoni, Pandhurna, Betul, Harda, Khandwa, Burhanpur, Khargone, Barwani, Alirajpur, Ratlam, Mandsaur, Neemuch.

Drop in temperature

Rain brought relief from heat in major cities. On Wednesday, the day temperature stayed below 40°C in most parts:

May brought daily rain or storms to most parts of Madhya Pradesh. Out of 54 districts, 53 recorded measurable rainfall. Only Niwari saw light drizzle that wasn’t recorded officially.

Indore received 114.8 mm (4.6 inches) of rainfall—the highest in 139 years. The previous record was in 1886, when the city received 107.7 mm. Ujjain also saw record-breaking rain, with 111.8 mm (4.3 inches). In 2021, Ujjain had only 65 mm, making this year’s total nearly double.

May remained cooler than expected. In contrast, April saw temperatures shoot up to 45°C in several cities. This May, no city crossed the 43°C mark.

Even during Nautapa, a period known for peak heat, temperatures remained lower than usual. Only six cities—Naugaon, Khajuraho, Tikamgarh, Gwalior, Damoh, and Shivpuri—saw the mercury rise above 40°C. Most other places stayed well below that.

Why so much rain?

Meteorologist Dr. Surendran pointed to active weather systems across the state. Cyclonic circulation, western disturbances, and trough activity remained present throughout May.

These overlapping systems kept triggering storms and rainfall in different districts. That’s why the weather stayed unsettled all month.

The southwest monsoon is expected to enter Madhya Pradesh between June 7 and June 10. For now, it’s stuck over Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh and has not moved forward in the last few days.

Pre-monsoon rain is likely to continue until June 8. Temperatures may rise slightly, and humidity will increase across many cities.

In the last 10 years, MP usually faced extreme heat before the monsoon. This year, widespread storms and rain replaced the usual dry conditions.

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