Cyclone Montha: Red alert issued in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, cold intensifies in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh; these states will experience torrential rain.

The impact of Cyclone Montha is being felt along the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated that Cyclone Montha, which formed in the west-central Bay of Bengal, has intensified into a severe cyclonic storm and made landfall on the Andhra Pradesh coast on Tuesday evening or night.

The storm will reach Odisha today.

The storm will reach Odisha today. The Meteorological Department has warned that strong winds of up to 60 kmph are likely in several districts of Odisha in the next three hours.

Flight operations will remain suspended in Visakhapatnam for the entire day.

Rail and air services have been severely affected from October 27th to 30th due to the storm. 97 South Central Railway trains have been cancelled, 5 diverted, and 17 rescheduled. The East Coast Railway has also cancelled 32 trains. Several Air India and IndiGo flights have also been cancelled. Flight operations will remain suspended in Visakhapatnam for the entire day.

According to the IMD, Cyclone Montha over the west-central Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestward at a speed of 15 kmph during the past six hours and intensified into a severe cyclonic storm.

Strong winds are blowing in Odisha.

Rough seas, strong winds, and rain were reported in the Ganjam district of Odisha, while Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh received rain due to the cyclone's impact. Chennai, Tamil Nadu, also received rain this morning.

According to the IMD, moderate rain with light thunderstorms and lightning is likely at a few places in Chengalpattu, Chennai, Kanchipuram, Kanniyakumari, Ranipet, Tenkasi, Tiruvallur, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Tirupathur, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, Viluppuram, and Virudhunagar today.

Cold weather intensifies from Delhi to Uttar Pradesh.

Mild cold has suddenly increased in states like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab. The Meteorological Department is attributing this to the effects of Cyclone Montha. Atul Kumar Singh, a scientist with the India Meteorological Department, stated that heavy rainfall is also expected in isolated areas of the Varanasi and Mirzapur divisions on October 30th.

Meanwhile, air pollution in Delhi has increased sharply after Diwali. In light of this, a decision has been made to conduct cloud seeding, or artificial rain, in the national capital. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta stated that cloud seeding is a necessity for Delhi and is the first such experiment.

Rain in Gwalior-Chambal Damages Paddy, Maize, and Tomato Crops

The effects of Cyclone Montha and a western disturbance are being felt across the country. Consequently, the Gwalior-Chambal districts of Madhya Pradesh have been experiencing heavy and drizzling rain for over 30 hours. Rain continued in Shivpuri district until 8 a.m. on Tuesday. While the paddy and maize crops were affected, the tomato crop is feared to be damaged by up to 90 percent.

In the Datia district, paddy crops have been left scattered in the fields in over 500 villages, including Datia, Sevdha, Indargarh, Bhander, Tharet, Jigna, and Udguwan. Farmers claim that 60 to 80 percent of the crop has been destroyed.

The rice crop in Bhind was destroyed by up to 60 percent.

The paddy crop in Bhind was also damaged by up to 60 percent. Similarly, in Sheopur district, rain continued throughout the day, causing 30 to 50 percent damage to the paddy crop. Meanwhile, drizzle has been continuing for over 30 hours in the Morena district. The rain has affected the paddy and maize crops in Gwalior district.