SEVERAL parts of Madhya Pradesh are likely to witness light rain, thunderstorms and lightning on Tuesday evening and night, according to the Meteorological Centre. Niwari, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Panna, Satna, Maihar, Rewa, Mauganj, Sidhi, Singrauli, Umaria, Shahdol, Anuppur, Katni, Damoh and Sagar are likely to receive light thunderstorms accompanied by moderate rain during the evening. Light rain is also expected over several districts, including Bhopal, Gwalior, Morena, Sheopur, Shivpuri, Guna, Ashoknagar, Vidisha, Sehore, Raisen, Narmadapuram, Betul, Chhindwara, Jabalpur, Seoni, Balaghat, Mandla and Dindori. Night thunderstorms may intensify: The Weather Department has forecast thunderstorms with lightning and moderate rain over parts of Satna, Maihar, Rewa, Mauganj, Chhatarpur, Panna, Bhind, Datia, Katni, Jabalpur, Umaria, Dindori, Mandla, Balaghat, Anuppur, Shahdol, Singrauli, Sidhi, Tikamgarh, Niwari and Damoh during the night. Rainfall of around 5 to 15 mm per hour is possible in these areas, with a 30 to 60 per cent probability of cloud-to-ground lightning. Light rain, below 5 mm per hour, is likely in several other districts, including Bhopal, Gwalior, Morena, Shivpuri, Guna, Vidisha, Raisen, Sehore, Narmadapuram, Betul, Chhindwara, Narsinghpur, Seoni, Neemuch and Mandsaur. Heavy rain recorded in east: Several parts of eastern Madhya Pradesh received significant rainfall during the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Monday. Ramnagar recorded the highest rainfall at 123.4 mm, followed by Jawa at 80 mm, Jaisinghnagar at 71 mm and Devendranagar at 70.3 mm. Heavy rainfall was reported in Sidhi and Singrauli districts. Thunderstorms, lightning and rain were recorded across all districts of the Rewa, Shahdol and Jabalpur divisions, except Pandhurna and Chhindwara, as well as in Ujjain, Chhatarpur, Panna, Katni, Jabalpur, Mandla, Seoni and Balaghat. Gusty winds sweep parts of MP: Thunderstorms were accompanied by gusty winds in several locations. Raisen recorded the strongest wind speed in western Madhya Pradesh at 33 kmph, followed by Datia at 30 kmph.

 

In eastern Madhya Pradesh, Narsinghpur and Mandla recorded winds of 30 kmph. Low pressure system drives weather: The weather conditions are being influenced by a well-marked low-pressure area over Gangetic West Bengal and adjoining north coastal Odisha and the northwest Bay of Bengal. The system is likely to move west-northwestwards across north Odisha and Gangetic West Bengal during the next 24 hours. The monsoon trough is extending from Amritsar through Patiala, Najibabad and Basti to the centre of the lowpressure area and onward towards the east-central Bay of Bengal. Another trough extends from south Gujarat towards the system through north Madhya Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. September may bring less rain:The India Meteorological Department has forecast below-normal rainfall across the country during September 2026, with monthly rainfall most likely to remain below 91 per cent of the long-period average. The long-period average rainfall for September is around 167.9 mm. However, some parts of northwest, northeast, eastern, east-central and southeastern peninsular India may receive normal or above-normal rainfall. Temperatures likely to stay high: Most parts of the country are likely to record abovenormal monthly average maximum temperatures in September. Minimum temperatures are also expected to remain above normal over most areas, although some parts of northwest, west-central and northeast India may experience normal or belownormal temperatures. El Nino conditions remain strong:The IMD said strong El Nino conditions currently prevail over the equatorial Pacific, with sea surface temperatures above normal across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific. These conditions are expected to strengthen further in the coming months. The Indian Ocean Dipole is currently neutral and is expected to remain neutral through September. International climate centres, however, indicate that it could turn positive after September.