Dimapur, October 29 (MExN): The weather outlook over Nagaland has changed as the remnant of Severe Cyclonic Storm Montha weakened into a depression over south Chhattisgarh on Wednesday.
The system, previously a deep depression over north Andhra Pradesh, south Odisha, south Chhattisgarh, and northeast Telangana, moved north-northwest at 18 kmph over the past six hours, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
As of 5:30 pm IST, the depression was centred near latitude 18.7°N and longitude 80.9°E, around 110 km west-northwest of Malkangiri (Odisha) and 130 km west-southwest of Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh). It is expected to move northwards and weaken into a well-marked low-pressure area within the next 12 hours, the IMD updated at 9 pm on Wednesday.
In another bulletin, the national weather agency noted the likelihood of isolated thunderstorms with lightning over Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura on October 31. On November 1, isolated heavy rainfall is expected over the same states, along with thunderstorms in some areas, it added. Earlier, the IMD had forecast heavy rainfall from October 31 to November 2.
Elsewhere, Montha brought heavy rainfall to Telangana, leaving two people dead in separate incidents. In Andhra Pradesh, preliminary estimates indicate damage to 87,000 hectares of crops, 380 km of roads, and 14 bridges, the PTI news agency reported. Two people reportedly lost their lives as well.
