Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh): As Cyclone Montha hurtles towards the coast, Kakinada Port in Andhra Pradesh prepares to face the biggest impact.
Great danger signal number 10, the highest alert issued in times of severe cyclones, was hoisted at Kakinada Port on Tuesday. The Cyclone Warning Centre, Visakhapatnam directed authorities to replace danger signal 7 with 10 at Kakinada Port.
Great danger signal No. 9 was hoisted at Visakhapatnam, Gangavaram, Kalingapatnam and Bheemunipatnam ports, while great danger signal 8 was hoisted at Machilipatnam, Nizampatnam, Krishnapatnam and Vadarevu ports, reported IANS.
The storm was positioned at 50 km from Machilipatnam, 130 km from Kakinada and 470 km from Gopalpur at 4.30 pm on Tuesday, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
It is expected to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, around Kakinada, between 5.30 pm and 8.30 pm as a severe cyclonic storm.
Waves of 2 to 4.7 metres
Weather department authorities warned of rough sea conditions along the Andhra coast from Nellore to Srikakulam, with waves expected to rise between 2 metres and 4.7 metres.
The wind speed during landfall is expected to be around 90 to 110 kmph, gusting up to 110 kmph.
Most parts of coastal Andhra will receive light to moderate rainfall, with heavy to very heavy showers in some areas and extremely heavy rainfall at some locations till 29.
The system is being continuously monitored from the control room of Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA).
45 NDRF teams earmarked for mitigation
As many as 45 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Chhattisgarh in view of the approaching cyclone Montha.
Of these, 25 have been pre-deployed, with 10 teams on standby in Andhra, 6 in Odisha, 3 each in Tamil Nadu and Telangana, 2 in Chhattisgarh and 1 in Puducherry. Twenty additional teams are on standby at strategic locations for immediate deployment, if required, the NDRF said.
Though Andhra will be worst hit, Cyclone Montha will also impact at least 8 districts of southern Odisha.
Red alert has been issued in parts of Telangana as well. Bhadradri Kothagudem and Khammam districts are under red alert, while parts of Warangal, Nalgonda, and Mahabubabad are on orange alert.
West Bengal is also expected to witness heavy rainfall till October 31 under the influence of Cyclone Montha. Heavy rainfall has been predicted in the south Bengal districts of North and South 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Purulia, Purba and Paschim Bardhaman, Birbhum and Murshidabad between Tuesday and Friday.
One or two places in the sub-Himalayan districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar may receive very heavy rainfall on Friday, the Met office said.
The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Chennai has issued storm warnings for ports across Tamil Nadu. Tiruvallur district has recorded 72 mm rainfall in 24 hours, prompting the district collector to declare school holiday.
