Indore: A spell of rain in several eastern parts of Indore city on Wednesday evening brought relief from humid conditions and infused a welcome coolness into the weather, even as western areas witnessed only drizzle.
Strong winds began blowing in the late afternoon, followed by rain around 4:30 pm in many eastern localities. The rainfall varied from light to moderate spells and continued intermittently for nearly an hour before weakening. Residents in western areas reported only drizzle and scattered showers.
Despite rain being reported from several neighbourhoods, the precipitation remained highly localised. Since the showers were largely confined to eastern parts of the city, the weather observatory at Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport recorded only 0.1 mm of rainfall during the day.
On Wednesday, the city's maximum temperature was recorded at 37.2 degrees Celsius, which was two degrees above normal, while the minimum temperature stood at 26.2 degrees Celsius, also two degrees above normal.
The rainfall has taken the city's seasonal tally to more than two inches so far this season. Met officials said similar weather conditions are likely to continue over Indore and adjoining areas for the next one to two days, with cloudy skies, gusty winds and occasional showers. The delayed arrival of the southwest monsoon, however, continues to affect rainfall figures across Madhya Pradesh. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) considers June 15 as the normal date for the monsoon's entry into the state. In the past decade, the earliest arrival was recorded on June 9, 2021, while the latest was on June 25, 2018. Last year, the monsoon entered the state on June 16 and later delivered above-normal rainfall.
This year, the monsoon is running nearly a week behind schedule, resulting in a rain deficit across the state. Between June 1 and June 16, Madhya Pradesh received around 35 percent less rainfall than normal. Weather officials expect advancing monsoon activity over the coming days to improve rainfall figures and strengthen pre-monsoon conditions across the region.
