The southwest monsoon has entered eastern parts of Madhya Pradesh, bringing showers in the last 24 hours, an official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Sunday.
The rain-bearing system is expected to cover entire Madhya Pradesh by June 28 or 29, he said. Intermittent showers in parts of the state have brought some respite to residents from the sweltering heat.
The monsoon set in over the eastern parts of MP, bordering Chhattisgarh, on Saturday. It is likely to advance to capital Bhopal on Monday or Tuesday and cover the entire state by June 28-29, IMD Bhopal centre director R Balasubramanian told PTI. Madhya Pradesh is very likely to see a wet week ahead, he said.
The maximum temperature in the state hovered between 30 and 40 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature was between 21 and 27 degrees Celsius following the intermittent showers, according to IMD data.
Four days ago, the maximum and minimum temperatures in parts of the state were over 40 degrees Celsius and 30 deg C respectively. Rains were recorded in 16 districts of MP, including Bhopal, Indore and Gwalior, in the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am Sunday, as per the IMD.
The highest rainfall was recorded in Sidhi at 44.2 mm, followed by Satna-42.3, and Rewa-31.6 mm during the period, it said. Last year, the monsoon arrived in MP on June 16, a day before its normal schedule. By June 21, it had covered 80 per cent of the state, as per official data.
This year, the southwest monsoon hit Kerala on June 8, seven days behind its normal schedule.
