Bhubaneswar, Oct 29: Cyclone Montha, which had earlier threatened to impact coastal Odisha, has now weakened into a deep depression while moving north-northwest at a speed of 15 km/h over the past six hours.

The system is currently progressing through parts of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and southern Chhattisgarh, with further weakening expected in the next six hours.

Odisha has largely escaped the cyclone’s direct impact, though several districts have experienced heavy rainfall. Areas including Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Ganjam, Gajapati, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Balasore, and Bhadrak have been placed under a rainfall alert.

Also read: Odisha Launches Rapid Damage Survey after Cyclone Montha

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued warnings for thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds ranging from 30–40 km/h across many parts of the state. While the overall rainfall intensity is expected to decrease Thursday, light to moderate showers with lightning are likely in northern and interior districts, including the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.

Earlier predictions had indicated landfall near Kakinada between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam. However, the cyclone eventually made landfall near Narasapur, approximately 100 km south of Kakinada, due to a slight shift in its track. This change reduced the rainfall intensity in Odisha.

Despite the limited impact, Gajapati’s Gosani block recorded 150.5 mm of rainfall, while Ganjam’s Patrapur saw the highest at 170.4 mm. In total, 31 locations reported heavy rainfall, with two areas experiencing extremely heavy showers.

The system currently lies around 130 km from Malkangiri and is expected to continue weakening. Authorities remain on alert for the next two days, especially in regions prone to lightning and gusty winds.