Bhopal experienced its highest temperature of the summer season on Monday, as the maximum temperature reached 44 degrees Celsius for the first time this year. The intense heat prompted the Meteorological Department to issue a heatwave alert for the state capital and several other districts for Tuesday.
Temperature Details
The city recorded a maximum temperature of 44.0 degrees Celsius, which was 2.5 degrees above the normal average. The minimum temperature settled at 28.5 degrees Celsius. Weather officials have indicated that temperatures in Bhopal could rise further in the coming days, potentially crossing 45 degrees Celsius if current conditions persist.
Rising Trend
Over the past week, Bhopal witnessed a steady increase in temperatures, with maximums ranging between 42 and 43 degrees Celsius for several days before reaching 44 degrees on Monday. Historical data reveals that the city has recorded temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius four times during May in the last decade, and once crossed 46 degrees Celsius. The highest maximum temperature in recent years was 46.7 degrees Celsius recorded in May 2016.
Hottest Places in Madhya Pradesh
Rajgarh emerged as the hottest location in the state on Monday, with a maximum temperature of 45.5 degrees Celsius. Ratlam recorded 45.4 degrees, Khandwa 45.1 degrees, and Sheopur 45 degrees, indicating severe heat conditions across several districts of Madhya Pradesh.
Heatwave Alerts
Meteorological officials warned that severe heatwave conditions could prevail in Bhind, Datia, Niwari, Tikamgarh, and Chhattarpur districts on Tuesday. A heatwave alert was also issued for Morena, Gwalior, Sheopur, Shivpuri, Guna, Ashok Nagar, Vidisha, Sagar, Damoh, Panna, Narsinghpur, Raisen, Bhopal, Sehore, Dewas, Khandwa, Burhanpur, Khargone, Barwani, Dhar, Ratlam, Ujjain, Agar Malwa, Shajapur, Mandsaur, and Neemuch districts.
Pre-Monsoon Rainfall
Despite the rising heat, May has historically seen pre-monsoon rainfall activity in Bhopal. Rainfall has been recorded in the city during May every year over the past decade. The highest rainfall during the month in recent years was 58.6 mm in 2023, while 50.8 mm was recorded in May 2021. Last year, the city received 27.3 mm of rainfall during May.
Current Weather Conditions
According to the Met department, isolated rainfall activity was recorded in parts of the Rewa division during the last 24 hours, while the rest of the state remained dry. Heatwave impact prevailed in Rajgarh and Ratlam districts. Officials stated that there was no significant change in maximum and minimum temperatures across divisions during the past 24 hours, though maximum temperatures remained above normal by 1.8 to 2.2 degrees in districts of Bhopal, Indore, and Ujjain divisions.
