Bhubaneswar: The landfall process of the Severe Cyclonic Storm Montha has commenced, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed on Tuesday evening.
Latest observations indicate that the landfall process of cyclone Montha has commenced, the IMD said in its hourly bulletin. The system is currently making landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, near Kakinada.
As per the weather agency, the Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘Montha’ over the west-central Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards at a speed of 17 kmph in the past six hours. It was centered at 5.30 pm around 120 km east of Machilipatnam (Andhra Pradesh), 110 km south of Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh), 220 km south-southwest of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and 460 km southwest of Gopalpur (Odisha).
It will continue to move north-northwestwards and cross Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam around Kakinada during next 3-4 hours as a severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph. The landfall process will continue for the next 3-4 hours.
Although Montha is not forecast to directly hit Odisha, its impact—especially heavy rain and strong winds—is likely to be felt across southern districts with the landfall point approximately 200 km from Malkangiri.
As per information, the intensity of rainfall has started increasing in districts such as Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Nabarangpur and Gajapati districts.
Red and orange warning has been issued for the districts of Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Khurda, Puri, Nayagarh, Nuapada, Balangir and Sonepur on October 28-29.
The state government has advised people in vulnerable districts to remain indoors and avoid coastal areas until the storm fully crosses the coast. Disaster response teams are on high alert, with rescue and relief operations prepared to respond to any emergencies.