The south-west monsoon is likely to arrive in Madhya Pradesh over this weekend, even as parts of the state, including capital Bhopal and Indore, received pre-monsoon showers, said the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday.
Over the last two days, the eastern parts of the state bordering Chhattisgarh received rainfall, giving much-needed respite to citizens from the sweltering heat.
Last year, the monsoon had arrived in the state on June 16, a day before its normal schedule. By June 21, it had covered 80 per cent of the state.
What did the IMD official say?
"The south-west monsoon is likely to hit Madhya Pradesh on June 24 or 25 and it is expected to set in over state capital Bhopal on June 26 or 27," India Meteorological Department's (IMD) Bhopal director R Balasubramanian told PTI.
By June 29, it is likely to cover the entire state, he said.
According to Balasubramanian, three systems were bringing in moisture in Madhya Pradesh at present.
These systems are - a cyclonic circulation lying over central Uttar Pradesh, another cyclonic circulation over the west-central region and adjoining the north-west Bay of Bengal off north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha, he said.
A trough line is running from south Punjab to central Uttar Pradesh, where one of the cyclonic circulations lay, the official said. The monsoon arrived in Kerala on June 8, seven days behind its normal schedule.
Several parts of the state received rainfall during the 24-hour period ending 8.30 am on Friday including Guna district that recorded the highest rainfall of 43.2 mm.
Other districts, including Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Gwalior, also witnessed rainfall during the same period, the IMD data said.
The maximum temperature in parts of the state hovered between 30 and 40 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature was between 21 and 30 degrees Celsius following the intermittent showers since the last 48 hours, it said.
