Thunderstorms and heavy rain swept across Madhya Pradesh on Thursday and Friday, felling 80 trees in Bhopal, washing away a car in Dewas, and triggering weather alerts across 45 districts — even as the monsoon remains days away.
Winds reaching 70 kilometres per hour tore through Bhopal on Thursday evening, bringing down trees and branches across major roads and causing traffic jams. Hail also fell. At Rani Kamlapati station, an iron frame was blown off during the storm.
The India Meteorological Department’s weather centre warned that thunderstorms moving at up to 60 kmph could affect roughly 45 districts in the state on Friday.
On the Mussuria-Bhandaria road in Dewas, a car was swept away by flooded water. Four occupants jumped out of the vehicle to safety. Heavy rain also hit Jhabua on Friday morning, with flooding reported in Dhar, Pitampur, and Ratlam.
Orange Alert in Eight Districts
The IMD placed Neemuch, Mandsaur, Agar-Malwa, Sheopur, Shivpuri, Ashok Nagar, Sagar, and Damoh on orange alert for severe thunderstorms. Dozens of other districts — including Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Ujjain, and Ratlam — remain under yellow alert for heavy rain.
The storms brought relief from intense heat. Night temperatures fell sharply across the state. Bhopal recorded 20.2 degrees Celsius. In Indore, the mercury dropped 6.8 degrees in a single night to reach 19 degrees. Pachmarhi was the coldest, recording a minimum of 18 degrees.
In the last 24 hours, more than 20 districts recorded heavy rain. Ratlam received the most — one and a half inches of rainfall.
Monsoon Still 15 Days Away
The monsoon reached Kerala on June 4. The IMD says it is expected to enter Madhya Pradesh between June 20 and 22 — five to seven days later than the normal arrival date of June 15.
Last year, the monsoon entered the state on June 16 and withdrew by October 15.
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