The onset of January has ushered in a sudden and stark shift in weather patterns across Madhya Pradesh. Influenced by icy winds blowing from North India, shivering conditions have gripped several parts of the state. Saturday morning witnessed dense fog enveloping multiple districts, leading to poor visibility that forced vehicles to crawl on highways and disrupted rail traffic.
According to the latest data, day temperatures have plummeted significantly. On Saturday, 12 cities across the state recorded maximum temperatures below 20 degrees Celsius. This list includes Gwalior, Datia, Shivpuri, Rajgarh, Sagar, Damoh, Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh, Niwari, Panna, Satna, and Shahdol. Furthermore, Datia and Rajgarh districts officially observed ‘cold day’ conditions.
Impact on Transport
The intensifying fog has had a direct impact on connectivity. Reports indicate that the movement of trains connecting Delhi to Madhya Pradesh has been affected. Specifically, the schedules of the Malwa Express, Sachkhand Express, and the Shatabdi Express were disrupted due to low visibility caused by the dense fog.
In terms of fog intensity, Gwalior reported ‘very dense’ fog, while Jabalpur and Indore experienced ‘dense’ fog conditions. Bhopal and Narmadapuram witnessed moderate fog. Lighter fog was observed in districts such as Ratlam, Ujjain, Rewa, Sidhi, Datia, Chhatarpur (Khajuraho), Mandla, Satna, Guna, Rajgarh, Sagar, Raisen, and Damoh.
Meteorological Analysis and Forecast
The Meteorological Centre, Bhopal, has attributed this weather shift to high-altitude winds. Officials stated that strong jet stream winds are currently active over Northwest India at an altitude of approximately 12.6 kilometres above mean sea level. This system is directly influencing the weather in Madhya Pradesh.
Meteorologists predict that cold and foggy conditions will persist for the next two to three days. A further dip in night temperatures is expected between January 4 and January 6.
Temperature Extremes
On Saturday, Narmadapuram recorded the highest maximum temperature in the state at 29.0 degrees Celsius. Conversely, the lowest minimum temperature was recorded at the hill station of Pachmarhi (Narmadapuram district) at 5.6 degrees Celsius.
Other notable minimum temperatures included Shivpuri at 6.0 degrees Celsius, Datia at 6.6 degrees Celsius, Gwalior at 7.7 degrees Celsius, and Kalyanpur (Shahdol) at 8.1 degrees Celsius. On the maximum temperature front, Khargone recorded 28.6 degrees Celsius, followed by Khandwa at 28.1 degrees Celsius and Seoni at 27.8 degrees Celsius.
Upcoming Fog Warnings
The weather department has issued specific fog alerts for the coming days:
January 4 (Sunday): Dense fog is expected in Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Sheopur, Morena, Bhind, Datia, Shivpuri, Guna, Ashoknagar, Rajgarh, Vidisha, Raisen, Sagar, Damoh, Tikamgarh, Niwari, Chhatarpur, Panna, Satna, Rewa, Sidhi, Singrauli, Shahdol, Umaria, Katni, and Maihar.
January 5 (Monday): Fog is likely to impact Gwalior, Sheopur, Morena, Bhind, Datia, Shivpuri, Niwari, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Panna, Satna, Maihar, Rewa, Mauganj, Sidhi, and Singrauli.
January 6 (Tuesday): Similar conditions are forecast for Shivpuri, Sheopur, Gwalior, Morena, Bhind, Datia, Niwari, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Panna, Satna, Rewa, Mauganj, Sidhi, and Singrauli.
For the capital city of Bhopal, the Sunday forecast suggests partly cloudy skies with a maximum temperature of around 22 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 10 degrees Celsius. Wind speeds are expected to hover between 10 and 12 kmph.
