Madhya Pradesh is witnessing a sharp drop in temperature with a dual impact of cold wave and dense fog affecting several regions. The Malwa-Nimar area is experiencing record low temperatures, with many districts reporting minimum temperatures below 5 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, the Gwalior-Chambal, Rewa, and Sagar divisions are grappling with thick fog disrupting daily life.
The fog has severely reduced visibility to less than one kilometre in the morning hours, causing major disruptions in transportation services. The Meteorological Department has issued a dense fog alert for 13 districts today. Train services from Delhi to Indore and Bhopal have faced delays ranging from 30 minutes to five hours. Flight operations have also been affected, with several flights from Raja Bhoj Airport in Bhopal to Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, and Bengaluru delayed by 20 minutes to an hour on Thursday.
The districts under the fog alert include Gwalior, Morena, Bhind, Datia, Niwari, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Panna, Satna, Rewa, Mauganj, Sidhi, and Singrauli. Fog is also expected in Bhopal, Indore, Ujjain, Dewas, Sehore, Raisen, Vidisha, and nearby areas, with visibility ranging between 1 to 4 kilometres.
Kalyanpur in Shahdol district recorded the lowest temperature in the state at 3.5 degrees Celsius. Other recorded minimum temperatures include Bhopal at 5.4 degrees, Indore at 4.5 degrees, Ujjain at 7.3 degrees, and Jabalpur at 9.2 degrees. The cold wave is most intense in Malwa-Nimar districts such as Indore, Ujjain, Mandsaur, and Shajapur.
According to meteorologists, an active jet stream over the northern plains is a significant factor contributing to the falling temperatures. Due to the strong winds at higher altitudes, there is little relief expected from the cold and fog in the near future.
(Lake City Update) / Ummed Singh Rawat