Central India shivers, weather department issues cold wave alert

Bhopal/Raipur, Nov 17 Madhya Pradesh continues to shiver under an intense cold wave, with minimum temperatures plummeting well below normal across the state.

The Bhopal centre of the Meteorological Department has issued warnings for a severe cold wave at isolated places in the city, Sehore, Rajgarh, Indore, Shajapur, Satna, Shahdol, Jabalpur, and Maihar, with cold wave likely in Betul, Dhar, Dewas, Shivpuri, Rewa, Umaria, Katni, Panna, Damoh, Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh, and Niwari.

Cold day conditions are expected in Chhindwara and Balaghat. No rainfall was recorded anywhere in the state.

Over the past 24 hours, the weather remained dry in all divisions, but severe cold wave conditions gripped Bhopal, Rajgarh, Indore, Rewa, Jabalpur, Sehore, Shajapur, and Shahdol districts. Cold wave impacts were also felt in Dhar, Nowgong in Chhatarpur, Damoh, Shivpuri, and Betul, while Malanjkhand in Balaghat experienced a cold day.

Minimum temperatures showed no significant change but were markedly below normal by 5.1 to 7.9 degrees Celsius in Bhopal, Indore, Rewa, and Jabalpur divisions, and appreciably lower by 3.2 to 4.5 degrees in Ujjain, Gwalior, Shahdol, Sagar, and Chambal divisions.

The state's lowest minimum temperature of 6.0 degrees Celsius was recorded in Rajgarh and Girvar in Shajapur, followed closely by Kalyanpur in Shahdol at 6.2 degrees, and Bhopal and Indore at 6.4 degrees.

In Bhopal, the mercury dipped to 6.4 degrees on both Saturday and Sunday nights, staying below 10 degrees Celsius.

Maximum temperatures remained largely unchanged and were appreciably below normal by 3.2 to 3.6 degrees in Indore, Ujjain, Rewa, and Shahdol divisions, and below normal by 1.8 to 2.7 degrees in Bhopal, Narmadapuram, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Sagar, and Chambal divisions.

The highest maximum of 30.5 degrees Celsius was noted in Khandwa, while Amarkantak in Anuppur recorded the lowest at 22.3 degrees.

A low-pressure area persists over the southwest Bay of Bengal off the Sri Lankan coast, but it is expected to move west-northwestward without impacting Madhya Pradesh, where dry weather will continue. For Bhopal and nearby areas, the sky will remain clear with haze, winds at 8 to 10 kilometres per hour, and temperatures around 26 degrees maximum and 7 degrees minimum until Monday morning.

Authorities have advised residents to stay indoors as much as possible, wear warm clothes, consume hot beverages and nutritious food, and watch for hypothermia symptoms like shivering or numbness. Farmers are urged to irrigate fields lightly, create smoke barriers, cover sensitive crops, and protect livestock with shelters and energy-rich feed. The cold wave is expected to persist with no large change in the coming days.

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