Madhya Pradesh: IMD predicts very heavy rain, issues orange, yellow alerts

Bhopal, July 25: The Met department on Sunday issued orange and yellow alerts predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and lightning in large parts of Madhya Pradesh, which has been experiencing intermittent downpours for the last three days.

Both these alerts are valid till Monday morning, India Meteorological Department's Bhopal office senior meteorologist PK Saha told PTI.

Anuppur city in east MP received the highest 234.5 mm rainfall in the state in the last 24 hours ending 8.30 AM on Sunday, he said, adding Shamshabad area in Vidisha district of the west MP received 190.6 mm rainfall during the same period.

The orange alert- which asks authorities to ''be prepared"- warning possible heavy rains and thunderstorms accompanied with lightning at isolated places has been issued for 23 districts, namely Indore, Dhar, Alirajpur, Jhabua, Khargone, Barwani, Khandwa, Burhanpur, Ujjain, Dewas, Ratlam, Shajapur, Agar-Malwa, Mandsaur, Neemuch, Hoshangabad, Betul and Harda.

It (orange alert) also forecasts similar weather in Rajgarh, Guna, Sheopur, Shivpuri, and Ashoknagar districts. A yellow alert, which advises authorities to "be updated" on the situation, warning likely heavy rains and thunderstorms accompanied with lightning at isolated places, was issued for Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh, Balaghat, Anuppur and Narsinghpur districts.

Saha said a low-pressure area was lying over the northern part of the central MP and adjoining areas, and an east-west trough was running along 25 degrees north latitude. Besides, the monsoon trough was passing through the low-pressure area over the northern part of the central MP, he said.

''All these factors are causing rains in MP, '' he added.