Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai/New Delhi
Mumbai/New Delhi, Oct 27: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday issued an orange alert for three Maharashtra districts — Dhule, Nandurbar, and Nashik — warning of moderate rain, thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds reaching speeds of 30–50 kmph from Monday through Tuesday.
According to the IMD’s latest bulletin, Dhule district is expected to witness thunderstorms with lightning and moderate rainfall from Sunday night through Monday morning, with winds blowing at 40–50 kmph in isolated areas. Light to moderate rain and thundershowers are also likely on Tuesday.
In Nandurbar, similar weather conditions — thunderstorms with lightning, moderate rainfall, and gusty winds at 40–50 kmph — are expected between Monday morning and Tuesday evening. For Nashik, the IMD has forecast heavy rainfall accompanied by lightning and winds of 30–40 kmph from Monday morning. Between Monday night and Tuesday morning, the district may continue to see moderate rain and gusty winds up to 50 kmph in some areas.
Meanwhile, the IMD has warned that a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm — Cyclone Montha — by October 27, potentially strengthening into a severe cyclonic storm by October 28. As of Saturday night (October 25), the weather system was centred near latitude 11.0°N and longitude 87.7°E, moving west-northwestwards at around 8 kmph. It currently lies about 550 km west of Port Blair, 850 km east-southeast of Chennai, 890 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam, and around 890 km southeast of Kakinada.
The IMD predicts the storm will intensify over the southwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal by Monday morning, before moving northwestwards and later north-northwestwards. In anticipation of Cyclone Montha’s landfall, the Andhra Pradesh government has activated its pre-cyclone preparedness plan. State Civil Supplies Minister N. Manohar announced that the plan covers PDS stock positioning, fuel supply management, paddy procurement, food arrangements for relief shelters, and post-cyclone relief distribution.
“The government has completed an action-taken report to ensure readiness before Cyclone Montha makes landfall,” Manohar said. The IMD has also issued a red alert for several Andhra Pradesh districts, including Kakinada, Konaseema, West Godavari, Krishna, Bapatla, Prakasam, and Nellore, warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall in isolated regions.
The approaching cyclone is also expected to bring heavy rainfall across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal between October 28 and 31. In West Bengal, light to moderate rain will begin affecting Kolkata, South 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Howrah, Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura, and Hooghly from October 27. Between October 28 and 31, heavy downpours are expected in North and South 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Howrah, Purulia, Bardhaman, Birbhum, and Murshidabad, the IMD said.
With orange and red alerts issued across multiple states, the IMD has urged residents and local administrations to remain vigilant as Cyclone Montha continues to strengthen over the Bay of Bengal.