The most severe impact was reported from the Gwalior region, where continuous rainfall since Tuesday afternoon led the district administration to order the closure of schools on Wednesday. Officials said 21.4 mm of rain was recorded in Gwalior by 8.30 pm, accompanied by a sharp drop in temperature and dense cloud cover.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), hailstones were reported in parts of Guna, Ujjain and Agar-Malwa, while widespread rainfall was recorded across central and western districts. An alert for rain and thunderstorms has been issued for 14 districts, including Gwalior, Morena, Bhind, Datia, Niwari, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Panna, Satna, Maihar, Rewa, Mauganj, Sagar and Damoh.

Cloudy conditions and light rain are also likely in several other districts, such as Shivpuri, Sheopur, Ashoknagar, Sidhi, Singrauli, Katni, Umaria, Shahdol, Neemuch and Mandsaur. Moderate fog was reported in many northern districts on Wednesday morning, adding to the cold conditions.

The sudden weather change has hit farmers hard. Hail and strong winds flattened wheat and mustard crops in Agar-Malwa, Shajapur, Guna, Ratlam and parts of Ujjain district. In Ujjain’s Tarana and Ghatia areas, hail accompanied by heavy rain damaged crops in villages including Banada and Bamori. Farmers have reported significant losses, and local administrations have begun preliminary assessments.

Waterlogging was reported on roads in several towns, while lightning activity was observed overnight in Niwari, Datia, Sheopur, Ujjain, Khargone and Dhar. No casualties were reported till late evening.

Meteorologists said this was the first significant spell of winter rain and hail in the state this season. While divisions such as Indore, Bhopal, Narmadapuram and Jabalpur largely remained dry, cloudy skies were seen in parts of Bhopal without rainfall.

The IMD has warned that a new weather system forming over north-west India on January 30 could influence Madhya Pradesh within the next two to three days, potentially extending rainfall into early February. Temperatures across the state are expected to drop by 2–3 degrees Celsius, with night temperatures in several cities likely to fall below 10°C.