Queer weather conditions marked with bursts of heavy rain, thunderstorm, hailstorm, gusty winds and lightning continued to batter most areas of Madhya Pradesh on Sunday—the third day in a row—giving residents a feeling of monsoon in peak summer.
Eight deaths due to lightning and another due to strong winds were reported from different parts of the state during the past 24 hours, ending Sunday morning. Electric poles, huts, houses and other infrastructure got damaged while trees were uprooted due to strong winds in Raisen, Sehore, Shajapur, Barwani, Burhanpur Ratlam, Mandsaur, Khargone, Dhar, Harda, Betul, Dewas, Narsinghpur, Katni, Seoni and Chhindwara districts, the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Bhopal said.
Wind speeds between 35 and 60 kms per hour were reported from many places in the state. Normal average annual wind speed in the region was about 5-10 kms per hour.
Rainfall, hailstorm and gusty winds have been repeatedly experienced over Madhya Pradesh during the past two months, so much so that the state received more than three times the expected rain in March and April, data from RMC, Bhopal, shows.
Normally, an average of only 11 mms of rain is expected between March 1 and April 30 in Madhya Pradesh, but this year, 45.1 mm average rainfall was recorded, which is 310 per cent more than normal.
Temperatures have plunged drastically across the state due to the queer weather conditions.
Earthquake chance being monitored
Due to the heavy unseasonal rain, the weather office is also monitoring the likelihood of low to moderate earthquakes in different parts of the country. In Madhya Pradesh, the Son-Narmada fault zone comprising Jabalpur and Narmadapuram (Hoshangabad) divisions is being monitored for rainfall. The RMC, Bhopal, has asked the district collectors and state disaster management authorities of Jabalpur division, Indore division, Narmadapuram division, Bhopal division and Shahdol division and Dewas district to report any localized /small earthquake like events as inputs are required by the National Centre of Seismology.
Scientist with RMC, Bhopal, Ved Prakash Singh told THE WEEK that due to heavy unseasonal rainfall, chemical reaction is expected between water and calcium carbonate rocks (found in above mentioned areas) causing likelihood of rifts and consequent low and moderate earthquakes.
Weather conditions to continue for a week
Similar weather conditions are expected over the entire state along with other parts of the country for another week, with several weather systems simultaneously active. A fresh disturbance is brewing and likely to start impacting northwest India from the night of May 1, giving further impetus to the rainy, squally weather all over the country including Madhya Pradesh, scientist with RMC, Bhopal, Ved Prakash Singh told THE WEEK.
Singh said that the conditions will be vigorous till May 6 and start subsiding then, though some activity will continue till May 8. He said that extra moisture is coming in from the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal. Also, the Mediterranean Sea is active due to the presence of different weather systems.
The weather systems include a western disturbance as a cyclonic circulation that persists over Central Pakistan, an induced cyclonic circulation is present over south Pakistan and adjoining west Rajasthan, another over southwest Uttar Pradesh and adjoining areas, a cyclonic circulation over south Chhattisgarh and adjoining areas, another over Maldives and a trough/wind discontinuity is persisting from east Vidarbha to interior Tamil Nadu across Telangana and interior Karnataka, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast bulletin on Sunday afternoon said. Further, another western disturbance will start affecting northwest India from May 1 night, it added.
Warning for thunderstorms, rain, gusty winds, hail and lightning has been issued for many districts across the state.
Thankfully, the weather is not likely to be detrimental for farmers as at this time no major crops are grown. As for Madhya Pradesh, the third crop of mung (green gram) is in the middle stages of growing in about 15-16 districts of the state and might not be harmed too much, sources said.
However, damage to vegetable, horticulture crops due to rain and hail was reported from Narmadapuram, Shajapur, Vidisha, Raisen, Sehore, Burhanpur, Dhar, Mandsaur, Katni and Damoh districts.
Temperatures plunge drastically
The most talked about aspect of the present weather conditions is the fact that at a time when summer heat should have been at its peak, people in many parts of the country and almost entire Madhya Pradesh experiencing a monsoon like feel, with temperatures plunging drastically. Day temperatures plunged as much as 6 to 18 degrees below normal mark in most parts of the state on Sunday. Night temperatures also plunged by about 1 to 8 degrees below normal.
This has caused people to firmly switch off air conditioners and coolers and bring out the packed woolens. Umbrellas and raincoats are also being used in most areas.
Rainfall (in mms)
(Sunday – 8.30 am to 5.30 pm)
Khajuraho 44.4
Damoh 37.0
Bhopal City 35.1
Bhopal 31.0
Sagar 30.0
Raisen 16.0
Khandwa 16.0
Indore 14.2
Seoni 14.0
Pachmarhi 14.0
Chhindwara 8.0
Satna 4.0
Malanjkhand 4.0
(Past 24 hours ending 8.30 am Sunday)
Seoni 57.2
Chhindwara 35.2
Jabalpur 31.7
Narsinghpur 24.0
Mandla 16.4
Indore 15.5
Betul 13.6
Umaria 11.2
Ujjain 9.4
Khandwa 6.8
Malanjkhand 6.6
Pachmari 4.0