In Montha’s wake, Calcutta and other Bengal districts brace for wet spell till Saturday
Telegraph | 30 October 2025Parts of the coastal districts, including East Midnapore and South 24-Parganas, received heavy rain. The storm, which made landfall on the Andhra Pradesh coast on Tuesday evening, had weakened into a depression by Wednesday evening as it tracked northwards towards Chhattisgarh.
According to the Met office, the moisture-laden system will keep Bengal under a wet spell until Saturday. In south Bengal, heavy rain is likely in Birbhum, Murshidabad and West Burdwan districts over the next 48 hours. North Bengal, meanwhile, is bracing for a stronger onslaught — with heavy to very heavy rainfall (7-20cm) expected in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and Alipurduar on Friday.
At Alipore, the Met office recorded around 8mm of rain between Tuesday night and Wednesday night. Calcutta’s skies are likely to clear gradually, with conditions expected to improve from Sunday, the forecast said.
Cyclone Montha made landfall between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, to the south of Kakinada, affecting the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts — the latter being part of Puducherry. The storm was classified as a severe cyclonic storm at the time of landfall, packing winds of 90-100kmph, gusting up to 110kmph, the Met said.
After landfall, Montha moved north-northwest, towards Chhattisgarh via Odisha. By early Wednesday, it had weakened into a deep depression.
“Cyclonic storm Montha... moved north-northwestwards at a speed of around 15kmph during the past six hours, weakened into a deep depression, and lay centred at 8.30am on Wednesday over coastal Andhra Pradesh and adjoining Telangana — about... 130km south-southwest of Malkangiri (Odisha) and 220km south-southwest of Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh),” stated an afternoon bulletin.
The system is expected to continue weakening — from a depression into a low-pressure area, and finally into a cyclonic circulation. But as it moves north, Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh may come under its direct influence. “If that happens, there will be significant moisture incursion into Bengal, especially in north Bengal, which borders Bihar,” said a Met official.
