Bhopal sizzles at season’s highest temp yet, heatwave alert issued

Bhopal: For the first time this summer season, Bhopal’s maximum temperature touched the 44-degree mark on Monday, intensifying heat conditions in the city even as the Met department issued a heatwave alert for the state capital and several other districts for Tuesday.The city recorded a maximum temperature of 44.0 degrees, which was 2.5 degrees above normal, while the minimum temperature settled at 28.5 degrees. Weather officials said temperatures in Bhopal could rise further over the next few days and may cross 45 degrees if prevailing conditions continue.Bhopal witnessed a steady rise in temperatures over the past week, with maximum temperatures remaining between 42 and 43 degrees for several days before touching 44 degrees on Monday. Historical weather data shows that the city recorded temperatures above 45 degrees four times during May in the last decade, while the mercury crossed 46 degrees once during the same period. The highest maximum temperature recorded in recent years was 46.7 degrees in May 2016.Rajgarh emerged as the hottest place in the state on Monday, with a maximum temperature of 45.5 degrees. Ratlam recorded 45.4 degrees, Khandwa 45.1 degrees, and Sheopur 45 degrees, indicating severe heat conditions across several districts of Madhya Pradesh.Met 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.Despite the rising heat, May has continued to witness pre-monsoon rainfall activity in Bhopal over the years. 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 of rainfall was recorded in May 2021. Last year, the city received 27.3 mm of rainfall during the month.According to the Met department, isolated rainfall activity was recorded in parts of Rewa division during the last 24 hours, while the rest of the state remained dry. Heatwave impact prevailed in Rajgarh and Ratlam districts. Officials said 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.