Monsoon Enters MP’s 16 Districts Amid Arabian Sea Activity; Gwalior Still Waiting

The monsoon has made a welcome entry into Madhya Pradesh, arriving nine days behind schedule after covering Maharashtra. It swept into the state from the southern side on Wednesday and is now advancing toward Rajasthan.

Spurred by increasing activity from both the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, the monsoon covered 16 districts in a single day, stretching from Indore all the way to Mandla. The meteorological department has said that the remaining parts of the state will see monsoon activity within the next two to three days, and Bhopal is expected to be covered within 24 to 48 hours. The northern region of Gwalior will be the last to receive the monsoon.

Normally, the monsoon arrives in Madhya Pradesh by June 15. This time it was nine days late. In the last ten years, it arrived on time or early only twice. Last year too it was a day late, arriving on June 16. This is the third time in a decade that the monsoon arrived on June 24 — the previous occasions being 2023, 2018, and 2017.

On Wednesday, Betul and Khargone received heavy rainfall. Bhopal saw 33 mm of rain between 5 PM and 8:30 PM. In Lakhnapur Bandi in Khandwa, a lightning strike hit an uncle and nephew who had gathered for sowing — the uncle died. One more death was reported in Pandhurna.

Rains are sweeping across many parts of the state, causing waterlogging in low-lying areas. Betul, Chhindwara, and Khargone all saw heavy downpours on Wednesday, and Bhopal too witnessed dark clouds and showers by evening, giving residents relief from the intense heat.

Farmers are elated with the monsoon's arrival, as it opens the door for kharif crop sowing — with soybean being the largest share. The agriculture department has advised farmers to sow soybean varieties that mature in 90 to 95 days, such as NRC-150, NRC-165, JS-23-03, JS-23-09, JS-22-12, and JS-22-16, noting that these varieties are better options given weather uncertainties.

According to the meteorological department, the monsoon has already reached Alirajpur, Indore, Harda, Dhar, Betul, Khandwa, Burhanpur, Chhindwara, Pandhurna, Khargone, Seoni, Balaghat, Mandla, Barwani, and Dindori. The monsoon is expected to become active across the entire state within the next four days, with the Gwalior-Chambal region being the last to receive it.