Cold Wave Conditions Over Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh
Key Takeaways
- Central India is experiencing widespread cold wave conditions with single-digit minimum temperatures.
- Parts of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have recorded severe cold, with temperatures dropping below 4°C.
- Cold northerly winds and terrain effects are intensifying chill across the region.
- Cold wave conditions are expected to ease from January 5 as wind patterns change.
Central parts of the country have been reeling under cold conditions, with single-digit minimum temperatures across most areas. Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha have witnessed cold wave conditions, with temperatures plunging to low single digits at many places. The extreme cold has gripped parts of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh more severely, with mercury plummeting below 4°C at some locations, resulting in severe cold wave conditions.
A western disturbance, manifested as a cloud cluster, is present over the hills of North India and adjoining foothills. The seasonal anticyclone over parts of Rajasthan and neighbouring Madhya Pradesh has been pushed far to the south and east, over Maharashtra and the Telangana region. Cold winds from the plains of North India are reaching deep into central parts of the country. The east-west oriented Vindhya and Satpura ranges are further adding to the chill, as low-level winds descend along the slopes of these mountains. Minimum temperatures have crashed to 5°C or less at many places. The departure from normal is in excess of 4°C, spreading cold wave conditions beyond the boundaries of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and extending into parts of Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra and Telangana.
Prominent locations reporting low single-digit minimum temperatures in Madhya Pradesh include Nowgong (3°C), Umaria (3.1°C), Khajuraho (4.4°C), and Mandla, Rewa, Satna and Bhopal, each recording 5°C or less and remaining 4°–5°C below normal. Locations recording temperatures of 4°C or below fall under severe cold wave conditions. Stations under cold wave conditions in Chhattisgarh include Ambikapur, Durg, Pendra, Raipur and Rajnandgaon. All these places have recorded temperatures 4°–6°C below normal, with Ambikapur being the coldest at 3.5°C. Similar temperatures were also recorded at a few places in Odisha (Phulbani, Koraput), Jharkhand (Ranchi, Daltonganj, Bokaro), Telangana (Adilabad) and Maharashtra (Ahmadnagar).
Cold conditions are likely to continue for the next three to four days. Another western disturbance is expected to arrive over the hilly states of North India around 4–5 January 2026. An induced cyclonic circulation will also develop over the plains, altering wind patterns and blocking the frosty winds reaching central parts. Cold wave conditions will gradually abate over most areas, particularly across Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, from 05 January onwards.
