Visakhapatnam: Cyclone Montha, which developed over the Bay of Bengal, intensified into a cyclonic storm early Monday morning (October 27), putting Andhra Pradesh and Odisha on red and orange alert.
The
India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed in its latest bulletin that the storm, moving west-northwest at a speed of 16 kmph, was centred around 600 km east-southeast of Chennai and 680 km south-southeast of Kakinada at 2:30 am.
Cyclone Montha, currently over the southwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal, has been moving northwest at 15 kmph and was centred around 560 km east-southeast of Chennai and 620 km south-southeast of Kakinada at 5:30 am on October 27. The IMD said it is likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by October 28 morning and make landfall near Kakinada between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam that evening, with wind speeds of 90–100 kmph, gusting up to 110 kmph.
Andhra on Red Alert
The IMD has sounded red and orange alerts for 23 of the 26 districts in Andhra Pradesh. Red alerts were issued for SPSR Nellore, Prakasam, Bapatla, Krishna, West Godavari, Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema and Kakinada districts, where extremely heavy rainfall is expected. Orange alerts were declared for most other districts, excluding Anantapur, Kurnool and Sri Sathya Sai.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu placed the state administration on high alert, directing all departments to remain prepared for heavy rainfall and strong winds forecast between October 27 and 29.
Beaches in Eluru, Krishna and West Godavari districts are also closed, and boating activities are suspended in the Godavari and Krishna rivers. Police have deployed pickets to restrict public access to beaches, while officials have been instructed to evacuate residents from old and vulnerable structures.
Odisha Initiates Large-Scale Evacuation
Although the cyclone is expected to make landfall near Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh, the Odisha government has begun precautionary evacuations in vulnerable areas. According to Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, 128 disaster response teams have been deployed across eight districts likely to experience severe weather conditions.
Red warnings, predicting extremely heavy rainfall and gusts up to 80 kmph, have been issued for Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam, Kandhamal and Kalahandi.
Over 5,000 personnel from the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and Fire Services have been stationed across these districts to conduct rescue and relief operations if required.
In Guntur, the municipal administration has launched a drive to remove encroachments and clear blocked drainage channels to prevent flooding. Commissioner Puli Srinivasulu instructed officials to act “on a war footing” to ensure smooth water flow during the expected heavy rainfall.
