Several parts of Madhya Pradesh woke up to rain on Tuesday as the monsoon showed fresh activity, though the weather department has issued alerts for thunderstorms and heavy showers in 50 districts.

Bhopal, Sehore, and Pandhurna received morning showers. In Pandhurna, a tree fell on power lines due to rain, disrupting electricity supply to eight villages. Heavy rain has also been forecast for Betul, Chhindwara, Pandhurna, Seoni, and Balaghat, where up to 4 inches of rainfall is possible in the next 24 hours.

Tragedy struck in Khargone where two people — labourer Radheshyam (30) and housewife Kenu (30) — died after being struck by lightning in separate incidents. In Betul’s Chicholi, two men who were swept away by the swollen Champa river on Monday night were found dead on Tuesday morning.

The monsoon, which entered 15 districts on June 24, has been slow to advance further. However, the recent showers have helped reduce the overall rainfall deficit to 39 per cent. Eastern Madhya Pradesh continues to lag significantly behind western parts.

The IMD has warned of strong winds up to 60 kmph in many areas along with rain. The situation is being closely monitored as more rain is expected in the coming days.