Cyclone Montha weakens over Chhattisgarh; IMD issues orange alert for heavy rain in north Bengal

KOLKATA: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday issued a warning for moderate rainfall in several north Bengal districts over the next 24 hours, as the remnant of severe cyclonic storm ‘Montha’ lay centered over central Chhattisgarh and is likely to move towards Bihar via eastern Uttar Pradesh. According to IMD officials, the storm, which battered Andhra Pradesh after making landfall on Tuesday, is now gradually weakening.A spokesperson for the Met office said that “thunderstorms accompanied with intense rain is very likely to affect some parts of Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Kalimpong and Darjeeling districts,” prompting the issuance of an orange alert for these areas. In meteorological terminology, an orange alert indicates that people should be prepared to take action. Meanwhile, a yellow alert—which advises the public to keep watch and stay aware—has been issued for Uttar Dinajpur district.In south Bengal, including Kolkata, light to moderate rainfall was recorded, with the city receiving 27.8 mm of rain in the 24-hour period ending at 8:30 p.m. on October 29.Rainfall data for north Bengal was not available at the time of reporting.The Met department has also maintained a forecast for light rain in some parts of Gangetic West Bengal over the next 24 hours.(With agency inputs)