IMD issues orange alert for rainfall in 13 districts of Madhya Pradesh

This is the fourth straight orange alert for the state, which has been witnessing rains since last Friday. An orange alert indicates 'heavy to very heavy' rainfall.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday issued an orange alert for Madhya Pradesh, projecting "heavy to very heavy" rainfall in 13 districts across the state, news agency PTI reported quoting a senior meteorologist at IMD's office in state capital Bhopal. This is the fourth consecutive day when an orange alert has been issued for Madhya Pradesh, which has been experiencing rainfall since last Friday, the official said.

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"The orange alert is for heavy to very heavy rainfall and thunderstorms accompanied by lightning at isolated places in Gwalior, Shivpuri, Guna, Ashok Nagar, Datia, Sheopur, Morena, Bhind, Rajgarh, Agar-Malwa, Neemuch, Mandsaur and Tikamgarh," PK Saha, the senior meteorologist, said, adding that rainfall may abate on Tuesday as a low-pressure area over northwest Madhya Pradesh has weakened.

Saha, however, also warned that an associated cyclonic circulation over the region still persists. "An east-west trough is running across 25 degrees north latitude. This means that the rain activity might get confined to the state's northwest, including Gwalior and Chambal divisions," the meteorologist further said, also projecting another spell of good rain by the end of the month due to a low-pressure area which is likely to form over the north Bay of Bengal on July 28.

Giving statistics on rainfall in Madhya Pradesh in the last 24 hours, Saha added, "Almost the entire state received showers in this period. Jatola in Ratlam district received highest rainfall in the western region, at 260 mm. For the eastern p, the rainfall was highest in Chhatarpur, at 42.4 mm. The 24-hour period ended at 8:30am on Monday."

Alerts issued by the IMD are colour-coded, from green to red. A green alert stands for "no warning," while a yellow alert indicates that the authorities should keep themselves updated on the situation. Orange and red alerts, meanwhile, represent "heavy to very heavy" and "extremely heavy" rainfall, respectively.