The southwest monsoon has accelerated its advance, reaching central and southern districts. Officials expect the remaining areas to be covered within 24 hours.

The southwest monsoon has picked up pace across Chhattisgarh, covering the central and southern parts of the state. Officials said the remaining northern and north-western districts are likely to receive monsoon showers within the next 24 hours.

The India Meteorological Department has issued a warning for thunderstorms and lightning strikes across several parts of the state for the next two days.

On Wednesday, Dantewada and Raigarh districts recorded heavy rainfall. But despite the showers, Bilaspur remained the hottest city in the state at 39 degrees Celsius, while Rajnandgaon recorded the lowest minimum temperature at 22 degrees.

Here's the catch — the monsoon arrived nearly a week late this year, and the deficit tells the story. Between June 1 and now, Chhattisgarh should have received 127.8 mm of rainfall. The actual figure? Just 44.8 mm. That's a shortfall of nearly 65 per cent.

18 Districts Covered So Far

Monsoon has officially arrived in these districts:

Raipur, Durg, Dhamtari, Gariaband, Mahasamund, Balodabazar, Bemetara, Kabirdham, Rajnandgaon, Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki, Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai, Kanker, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Bastar, Dantewada, Sukma, Bijapur.

These Districts Are Still Waiting

Surguja, Surajpur, Balrampur, Korea, Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur, Jashpur, Korba, Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi, Bilaspur, Mungeli, Janjgir-Champa, Sakti, Sarangarh-Bilaigarh, Raigarh.

Pre-monsoon showers are occurring in these areas, but the IMD has not officially declared the monsoon's arrival there yet.

Bastar Best Placed, But Still Behind

The Bastar division, which traditionally receives the first monsoon showers, has fared relatively better than other regions. But "better" is a relative term:

- Bastar district: 74.8 mm rainfall against a normal of 142.7 mm — a 48% deficit

- Dantewada: 49.9 mm against 107.7 mm normal — down by 54%

- Sukma: 60.3 mm recorded, which is 54% below normal

Kondagaon and Bijapur reported 51.9 mm and 28 mm respectively.

Central Chhattisgarh Worst Hit

The situation in central districts is far more concerning:

- Raipur: 25.3 mm against a normal of 90.1 mm — 72% deficit

- Dhamtari: 34.2 mm against 112.6 mm

- Durg: 34.2 mm against 113.9 mm

- Mahasamund: 20.7 mm against 105.4 mm

- Balodabazar: Just 14 mm against 81.3 mm

Several Districts Face 80%+ Deficit

- Rajnandgaon: 8.3 mm against 100.3 mm — a staggering 92% deficit (worst affected)

- Mohla-Manpur-Chowki: 95% deficit

- Balodabazar and Sarangarh-Bilaigarh: 83% below normal

- Sakti: 83% deficit

The Next 10 Days Could Make or Break the Season

These numbers aren't just statistics. The delayed and weak monsoon has meant that most districts haven't received enough soil moisture for sowing. Farmers across the state are watching the skies, waiting for the rains to pick up.

Agriculture experts say the next 10 days will be critical. If widespread, good rainfall doesn't arrive in the last week of June, the sowing window could shrink significantly, impacting crop yields later in the season.

The weather department has forecast thunderstorms and lightning across the state for the next five days. If heavy rain covers the entire state in these remaining days of June, the deficit could reduce rapidly.

For Raipur, the IMD has forecast cloudy skies with thunderstorms and rain on June 24. The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 35 degrees, with the minimum settling at about 25 degrees.