Cyclonic storm Montha, currently active over the Bay of Bengal, is expected to make landfall near Kakinada in India around midnight on Tuesday, bringing sustained winds of 90–100 kmph and gusts reaching up to 110 kmph.
The Andhra Pradesh government has placed its coastal districts on high alert, deploying teams from the National and State Disaster Response Forces. Odisha is preparing for intense rainfall, having evacuated over 3,000 residents including pregnant women as a precaution.
Meanwhile, northern Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, is under orange and yellow alerts with forecasts of heavy rain, Indian media report.
The storm, located over the west-central Bay of Bengal, has been moving north-northwest at a speed of 15 kmph over the past six hours. As of 5:30am on Tuesday it had intensified into a severe cyclonic storm, centered near latitude 14.7°N and longitude 83.1°E. Its position was approximately 190 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam, 270 km south-southeast of Kakinada, 340 km south-southwest of Visakhapatnam, and 550 km south-southwest of Gopalpur.
The system is projected to continue its north-northwestward trajectory and make landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, near Kakinada by the evening or night of Tuesday, as a severe cyclonic storm with wind speeds ranging from 90–100 kmph and gusts up to 110 kmph.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday issued a red alert across seven coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh — Kakinada, Konaseema, West Godavari, Krishna, Bapatla, Prakasam and Nellore, ahead of the landfall of the cyclone.
The state government has declared holidays for educational institutions till Wednesday, while all fishing and beach tourism activities remain suspended. Thousands of residents from low-lying areas have been evacuated to temporary relief camps, reports Indian Express.
Teams from the NDRF are on high alert, and rescue units from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard have been placed on standby.
