Monsoon likely to hit Madhya Pradesh on Monday

BHOPAL/INDORE: Madhya Pradesh’s long wait for monsoon — made unbearable by record-breaking heat this summer — may end on Monday.
The rain-bearing winds that were advancing sluggishly suddenly picked up speed and reached Chhattisgarh a day earlier than expected, raising hopes that Madhya Pradesh’s wait may be over sooner too. Pre-monsoon activity is already on — it poured for an hour in Indore on Sunday, leaving many areas waterlogged; Bhopal too saw scattered showers.
Weather officials said that the countdown for southwest monsoon has begun, and it may hit “any time in the next 48 hours”. The Bay of Bengal monsoon stream will enter the state from Shahdol and Jabalpur divisions this time. Once monsoon enters MP, it reaches Bhopal and Indore over the next two days and takes a week to cover the entire state.
Days are still quite hot across MP — Bhopal sweltered at 39.1 degrees Celsius, four degrees above normal, on Sunday and Indore at 37.6 degrees. The relative humidity is quite high, making it even more uncomfortable. Almost the entire state is parched. In Bhopal, BMC cannot pump water from Upper Lake beyond a week. And thirst migration is already a painful reality in Bundelkhand. The state is desperate for rain.
Met predicts light showers for today
Met officials said there are multiple systems impacting Madhya Pradesh’s monsoon chances — a trough line over Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, a second one from Rajasthan to North Bay of Bengal and an upper air cyclonic circulation from Karnataka and adjoining parts.
Ratlam received 16mm rain and Indore 3.2mm on Sunday. Hoshangabad got 0.6mm and Bhopal just 0.2mm rainfall.
Even the nights are warm in Bhopal — Sunday’s minimum was 26.8 degrees, two degrees above normal.
Light rain is forecast for Bhopal on Monday. Rainfall is expected at many places, including Umaria, Anuppur, Shahdol, Dindori, Jabalpur, Mandla, Balaghat, Narsinghpur, Seoni, Katni, Chhindwara, Indore, Dhar, Khandwa, Khargone, Alirajpur, Jhabua, Barwani and Burhanpur.