The meteorological drama of Cyclone Montha is set to unfold with its greatest intensity along the Andhra Pradesh coastline, but its atmospheric influence will tell a secondary story across vast swathes of northern India.
While the cyclone’s main impact will be felt in Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring states, its indirect effects will be visible in other parts of the country as well, triggering a stark weather contrast between severe landfall conditions and distant, yet connected, rainfall and temperature shifts.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has confirmed that Cyclone Montha is expected to make landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coast on Tuesday. Packing estimated wind speeds of 100 kmph, the system is projected to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm.
In response, authorities have declared a coastal alert and ordered the closure of schools as a precautionary measure. Neighbouring Odisha is also preparing for widespread rain over the coming days, particularly in its coastal and southern regions.
Hundreds of kilometres from the storm’s centre, the weather in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi-NCR is being directly influenced by the cyclone’s remnants. According to IMD forecasts, Uttar Pradesh is likely to experience scattered showers, with light rain already reported in several eastern districts including Banda and Lucknow.
The Lucknow centre of the IMD explained that the state’s weather is being shaped by a combination of the cyclone in the Bay of Bengal and a depression in the Arabian Sea, interacting with a western disturbance. This confluence has resulted in a significant drop in maximum temperatures across Uttar Pradesh.
For instance, Orai witnessed a dramatic fall of 9.8 degrees Celsius, while in Lucknow, the maximum temperature dropped by 3.8 degrees Celsius to 28 degrees Celsius, offering respite from the heat, albeit with increased humidity.
The meteorological office has issued a heavy rainfall alert for districts in eastern UP, especially those within the Mirzapur and Varanasi divisions, for the next few days. They forecast light to moderate rainfall with gusty winds over southern and eastern Uttar Pradesh from October 29-31, with heavy rainfall likely in some districts of the Mirzapur and Varanasi divisions on October 30.
A significant consequence of this weather pattern, the IMD warned, will be huge daily fluctuations in maximum temperatures across the state from October 29-31 under the influence of Cyclone Montha’s remnants.
Further north, the Delhi-NCR region is also set for a change. Under the influence of the Western Disturbance, the area is expected to witness light rain and thundershowers over the next two days, leading to pleasant and cloudy conditions.
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