Heavy rain lashed several parts of Madhya Pradesh on Friday, including Bhopal, Ujjain and Khargone, and the weather office warns that more is coming. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Barwani and Khandwa, where up to 8 inches of rain could fall within 24 hours.
The IMD has placed 19 districts on alert for Saturday. Ratlam, Ujjain, Jhabua, Dhar, Alirajpur, Khargone, Burhanpur, Chhindwara and Balaghat fall under an orange alert for very heavy rain. Indore, Dewas, Sehore, Harda, Narmadapuram, Betul, Narsinghpur and Pandhurna can expect heavy rainfall.
Officials also forecast rain and storms across Neemuch, Mandsaur, Agar-Malwa, Rajgarh, Shajapur, Vidisha, Bhopal, Raisen, Sagar, Guna, Ashok Nagar, Shivpuri, Sheopur, Morena, Bhind, Datia, Gwalior, Niwari, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Damoh, Panna, Satna, Rewa, Mauganj, Sidhi, Singrauli, Maihar, Katni, Umaria, Shahdol, Jabalpur, Seoni, Mandla, Dindori and Anuppur. The department says every district in the state will see rain.
Indore Tops Rainfall Charts, Temperatures Drop
The monsoon is active across Madhya Pradesh, and rain fell in more than 25 districts over nine hours on Friday. Indore recorded the highest rainfall at 2 inches. Mandla followed with 1.75 inches, Bhopal with 1.5 inches, and Balaghat with 1.25 inches. Betul, Narmadapuram, Datia, Ratlam and Shivpuri each got three-quarters of an inch, while Damoh, Dhar and Pachmarhi received half an inch.
Chhindwara, Jabalpur, Khajuraho, Narsinghpur, Naugaon, Sagar, Satna, Seoni, Tikamgarh, Umaria, Guna, Gwalior and Raisen also saw rain.
Daytime temperatures dropped as a result. Bhopal’s maximum fell to 29°C on Friday. Indore recorded 30°C, Gwalior 33.6°C, Ujjain 32°C and Jabalpur 28.3°C. Malajkhand logged the state’s lowest temperature at 25.5°C. Narsinghpur, Sagar, Damoh, Raisen, Mandla, Chhindwara, Guna, Dhar and Betul all stayed below 30°C.
Rain fell on and off in Bhopal through Friday morning. Ujjain and its surrounding areas saw heavy rain overnight, and the rising Shipra river submerged several temples along its banks.
In Ganwadi Lodha village, floodwater swept away Assistant Secretary Surya Pratap Singh Songara along with his motorcycle while he tried to cross a drain. In nearby Jagoti village, Keshu Anjana faced a similar ordeal: strong currents swept him and his motorcycle away as he crossed a culvert. He managed to grab tree branches and pull himself out downstream. A video of the incident is circulating online.
Rescuers also recovered the body of Mahesh Chauhan on Friday, about 36 hours after floodwater swept him away in Ahirkhedi, Indore, on Wednesday night. They found his body in Sirpur pond.
Homes Damaged, Roads Flooded
In Pandhurna, rain caused five mud houses on a riverbank to collapse. The flood carried away household items and three goats. In Khargone’s Kasrawad area, two hours of heavy rain on Friday morning flooded roads and fields. More than 12 wards in Balaghat also saw waterlogging.
Gwalior received heavy rain Friday morning, and fields in Ratlam’s Shivpur village went underwater. In one widely shared incident, a river swept away a car crossing a bridge; an SAF jawan and the driver swam to safety.
Madhya Pradesh saw storms and rain throughout June, and heavy rain continued to hit several districts on July 3. So far, the state has recorded 135.3 mm (5.3 inches) of rain this season — 13% below the normal 156.1 mm (6.2 inches).
The shortfall isn’t even across the state. Eastern Madhya Pradesh has received 35% less rain than normal, while the western region has received 8% more than average.
Officials Expect July to Make Up the Gap
June brought less rain than usual, but the weather office expects July to close the gap. The month typically delivers about a third of the season’s total rainfall. Bhopal, for instance, gets 39 inches of rain in a normal year, and 14 of those inches fall in July alone. Jabalpur usually receives the most among major cities — over 17 inches in July. Statewide, July alone can account for up to 40% of the season’s total rainfall.
Madhya Pradesh’s normal seasonal rainfall stands at 37.3 inches. Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Gwalior districts normally see between 38 and 39 inches.
Which Districts Are Ahead or Behind
Below normal: Anuppur, Balaghat, Chhatarpur, Chhindwara, Damoh, Dindori, Jabalpur, Katni, Maihar, Mandla, Mauganj, Narsinghpur, Niwari, Panna, Rewa, Sagar, Satna, Seoni, Shahdol, Sidhi, Singrauli, Tikamgarh, Umaria, Alirajpur, Barwani, Bhind, Datia, Dhar, Gwalior, Jhabua, Khandwa, Morena, Narmadapuram, Raisen, Ratlam, Shivpuri, Ujjain and Vidisha.
Above normal: Bhopal, Ashoknagar, Agar-Malwa, Mandsaur, Neemuch, Sheopur, Burhanpur, Khargone, Betul, Dewas, Guna, Harda, Indore, Shajapur and Sehore. Dewas leads the state with 12 inches of rain so far. Indore has crossed 12.5 inches, and Bhopal has recorded 9.5 inches.
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