Indore wakes up to moderate fog reducing visibility to 600 metre

Indore: Indoreans woke up to moderate fog on Monday morning, while partly cloudy sky persisted through the day. The fog reduced visibility to 600 metre in the city.The maximum temperature was recorded at 26.5 degrees Celsius, lower than Monday's 29.9 degrees, while the minimum stood at 14 degrees Celsius. Met department has reported rain and thunderstorms in parts of the Indore and Ujjain divisions under the influence of an active western disturbance. Divya Surendran of Bhopal weather centre said isolated rainfall was recorded in both sub-division of Madhya Pradesh during the past 24 hours. No cold wave or cold day conditions were reported. Clouding and thunderstorm activity continued over northern and north-western parts of the state.Weather fluctuations affected several districts in Madhya Pradesh. In Mandsaur, 22 villages of Malhargarh tehsil were hit by hailstorms over the past 48 hours. "As per the preliminary survey, more than 22 villages in Malhargarh tehsil were affected by the hailstorm. Of them, many cultivated opium, which will be assessed separately by the narcotics department through a dedicated survey of opium fields. A detailed survey of other crops was also ordered. Every agricultural holding will be inspected to determine the extent of damage," said Mandsaur additional district magistrate Ekta Jaiswal.In Agar-Malwa, light drizzle continued on Tuesday morning after four days of winter rain and cold winds, keeping temperatures low. In Petlawad tehsil of Jhabua, unseasonal rain, gusty winds and hail flattened wheat crops in several villages. Farmers reported heavy losses. Cold conditions also intensified in Dhar, where the minimum temperature fell to 13.5 degrees Celsius and dense fog affected visibility in the morning. In forecast for Wednesday, the Met official said that isolated rain with thunderstorms was likely in northern Madhya Pradesh. Shallow to moderate fog was expected in central regions, with dense fog possible in the northern belt. From Feb 4, conditions were likely to turn dry as the system will move towards east, though fog might persist.