IN BHOPAL,clear skies prevailed with haze and shallow to moderate fog during the morning. The city recorded a maximum temperature of 25°C, which was 1.4°C below normal, while the minimum temperature settled at 4.8°C, around 6.1°C below nor mal. Morning humidity levels stood high at 79 per cent, and no rainfall was recorded. Light winds with an average speed of 8 to 10 kmph were observed, con tributing to the chill in the air. The forecast for Bhopal and adjoining areas indicates simi lar conditions over the next 24 hours, with no major change in temperature. Cold and dry weather conditions prevailed across the State over the past 24 hours.

 

A dip in temperatures was observed in several regions, while cold wave conditions continued to affect parts of central and western Madhya Pradesh, impacting day to-day life during the early morning and late night hours. The impact of cold wave conditions was reported from Bhopal, Raisen, Indore and Shajapur districts. Maximum temperatures fell appreciably by about 2.4°C in districts of the Ujjain division, while no significant change was recorded in the remaining divisions. Day temperatures remained below nor mal by around 2.5°C in Ujjain and Rewa divisions and stayed near normal elsewhere in the State.

 

Minimum temperatures showed no major change across divisions; however, they remained significantly below normal in many areas. Night temperatures were appreciably below normal by nearly 4.8°C in districts of the Bhopal division and were 1.8°C to 2.9°C below normal in parts of Indore and Ujjain divisions. Girvar in Shajapur district recorded the lowest minimum temperature in the State at 4.4°C, followed by Mandsaur at 4.6°C and Bhopal at 4.8°C. On the other hand, Kannod in Dewas district reported the highest minimum temperature at 13.3°C. Day temperatures also reflected the prevailing cold conditions. Amarkantak and Malanjkhand recorded the lowest maximum temperatures at 22.2°C, while Khandwa registered the highest maxi mum temperature in the state at 30.5°C. Overall, the highest maximum temperature of 30.5°C was recorded at Khandwa, while the lowest minimum temperature of 4.4°C was observed at Girvar in Shajapur district.

 

Fog conditions were report ed at several places, with dense fog observed in Khajuraho district, moderate fog in Rewa district and shallow fog in Bhopal, Jabalpur and Gwalior districts, reducing visibility during morning hours. According to the India Meteorological Department, the prevailing weather conditions over Madhya Pradesh are being influenced by a western disturbance in the form of an upper-air cyclonic circulation over Jammu and neighbour hood, along with a trough in the middle tropospheric westerlies. The subtropical westerly jet stream, with core winds reaching up to 120 knots at about 12.6 km above mean sea level, continues to dominate North India. A fresh but weak western disturbance is likely to affect the western Himalayan region from the night of December 17, though no significant change in weather is expected over Madhya Pradesh in the imme diate outlook.