A depression formed over the southeast Bay of Bengal has strengthened and is forecasted to bring heavy to extremely heavy rainfall across Odisha and certain areas of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry from October 27 to 29, according to the Indian Meteorological Department.
Southern regions of West Bengal, including North and South 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, and Howrah, are expected to experience heavy rainfall between October 28 and 30. Meanwhile, northern districts such as Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, Dakshin Dinajpur, and Malda may witness significant rainfall starting from October 29.
Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning are anticipated in Kolkata and Hooghly on October 28. The cyclonic storm, currently positioned approximately 420 km west-southwest of Port Blair and around 990–1,040 km away from major coastal cities like Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Kakinada, and Gopalpur, is predicted to move west-northwestwards. It is projected to intensify into a deep depression by October 26 and further develop into a cyclonic storm over the southwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal by October 27 morning.
Director of the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Department, Manorama Mohanty, informed news agency PTI that Odisha, particularly coastal districts, is expected to bear the brunt of the storm. Mohanty emphasized the challenges in pinpointing the exact landfall location at this stage.
The weather department has issued escalating warnings for Odisha: starting with a yellow alert for 12 districts on Friday, which increased to 21 districts on Saturday and Sunday, and eventually extended statewide on Monday. An orange warning signifying readiness for heavy rainfall has been issued for Ganjam, Gajapati, and Rayagada, while the remaining 27 districts are under a yellow alert.
On October 28, 10 districts including Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, and Cuttack are under an orange alert, followed by six districts including Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, and Balasore under an orange warning on October 29, with 10 others under a yellow alert.
Mohanty cautioned about squally weather along Odisha’s coast, with winds expected to reach 35–45 kmph, intensifying to 50–60 kmph with gusts up to 70 kmph by October 28–29. Sea conditions are projected to be rough to very rough over the southeast and adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal, becoming very rough to high over central parts from October 25 evening to October 28 morning. Similarly, rough to very high conditions are likely over the west-central and adjoining northwest Bay from October 26 evening to October 29.
The cyclone, named ‘Montha’ as per Thailand’s suggestion following international naming conventions, has prompted the Greater Chennai Corporation to mobilize resources and personnel to handle any potential emergencies. Fishermen are advised to avoid the Southwest and adjoining central Bay of Bengal, coasts of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Yanam until October 29, and the Odisha coast from October 26 to 29, with immediate return recommended for those at sea.
Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari assured that the government is closely monitoring the situation and is prepared to respond effectively. Pujari emphasized that October is known for cyclone occurrences and urged the public not to panic, stating that the government is fully equipped to manage the situation. District collectors in landslide-prone areas such as Gajapati, Kandhamal, Koraput, Malkangiri, and Nabarangpur are advised to monitor the situation closely and arrange evacuations if necessary.