Night rain pulls down temp, leaves roads waterlogged

Indore: Heavy rainfall accompanied by gusty winds and lightning lashed several parts of Indore around 10 pm on Monday, causing traffic disruptions and chaos across the city. Most parts of Indore witnessed prolong power cuts with the start of downpour. Around 26mm rainfall was recorded till 11.30pm. The sudden downpour led to waterlogging in low-lying areas and threw evening schedules off track. Many wedding functions, underway due to the ongoing Hindu marriage season, were severely impacted with tents collapsing and power cuts reported at multiple venues. Guests were seen taking shelter amid the storm, while traffic came to a crawl on key roads.

Many residential areas reported power cuts across the city. Rainfall which continued for more than 50 mins left many major crossroads water logged.

A major shift in weather left Indore residents surprised and reaching for extra layers on Monday early morning as the city recorded a minimum temperature of just 17.2 degrees Celsius—seven degrees below normal. The chill came after heavy rains and gusty winds battered the city on Sunday evening, leaving the streets drenched and the air unusually cool for early May. According to the Meteorological Department, this is the lowest minimum temperature recorded in the city for the month of May in the last ten years.

As per the climatic features of Indore for May, the usual minimum temperature hovers around 24°C. Records from the Met Department show a gradual variation over the past decade, with the previous lowest being 18.9 degrees Celsius in 2023. This year's dip, however, broke that trend, catching both residents and authorities off-guard. The spell of unusual weather isn't over yet. The IMD has forecast further rainfall, thunderstorms, and gusty winds up to May 9 across Indore and parts of the Ujjain division. On Monday, strong winds returned in the afternoon and evening, accompanied by overcast skies that made the entire day feel like the monsoon had arrived early. The day temperature in Indore also dropped down to 35.0 degree Celsius which was 6 degree Celsius below normal. While the evening temperature at 5.30 pm was recorded at 32.4 degree Celsius. However, the rainfall on Sunday evening increased the relative humidity to 61% in the morning hours and 50%in the evening hours.

"Indore recorded 70.2 mm of rainfall on Sunday, the highest in the state in the past 24 hours. Wind speeds touched 111 kmph at some points," said Arun Sharma, a scientist at IMD Bhopal. "Due to active weather systems, we expect light to moderate showers, lightning, and gusty winds to continue for the next few days, leading to a further dip in temperatures across Madhya Pradesh."

In nearby districts like Ratlam, Neemuch, Ujjain, and Mandsaur, residents also saw a sudden transformation in weather. In Ratlam, gentle showers brought relief from the heat, while parts of Neemuch and Mandsaur experienced intense hailstorms.