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Cyclone Montha: The Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) said on Monday that Cyclone Montha has begun to approach the Andhra Pradesh coast. “The cyclone has become active,” said Prakhar Jain, managing director of the APSDMA. “Rain has started to fall in coastal districts, accompanied by strong winds.”

Cyclone Montha: Cyclone Montha has intensified into a cyclonic storm, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday. Heavy rains in Kerala have claimed two lives. The IMD stated, “It is likely to move northwestward over the southwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal during the next 12 hours, and then recurve north-northwestward, intensifying into a severe cyclonic storm by the morning of October 28.” Strong winds and heavy rain are expected in three states: Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu.

Cyclone activated

The Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) reported on Monday that Cyclone Montha has begun approaching the Andhra Pradesh coast. APSDMA Managing Director Prakhar Jain told PTI, “The cyclone has been activated. Rains accompanied by strong winds have started in the coastal districts.” Montha, a deep depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal, intensified into a cyclonic storm at midnight on Sunday. By 11:30 am on Monday, it was centred over the southwest and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal – about 480 km east of Chennai, 530 km south-southeast of Kakinada and about 560 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam.

It is moving at this speed

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that the system has progressed at a speed of about 18 kilometres per hour over the past six hours. It is expected to move north-northwestward and intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by the morning of October 28. Prakhar Jain, Managing Director of the APSDMA, said, “The cyclone is likely to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast near Kakinada as a severe cyclonic storm on the evening or night of October 28.” Earlier this month, Cyclone Shakti made landfall in the Arabian Sea near the Gujarat coast but passed by without making landfall.

High Alert in Three States

The IMD has issued a heavy rainfall alert for several states following the intensification of Cyclone Montha. Andhra Pradesh has been placed on high alert, while Odisha, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu are also expected to experience strong winds and heavy rainfall. The Meteorological Department stated that heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely in many areas of coastal Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Puducherry, and Chhattisgarh. The Odisha government has begun evacuating people from coastal areas. 128 rescue teams have been deployed in eight districts—Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam, Kalahandi, and Kandhamal—to deal with any emergency.

The IMD has issued an orange alert for Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada, and Udupi districts in Karnataka. Heavy to very heavy rainfall with gusty winds of up to 40 kilometres per hour is expected here. In addition, Bagalkot, Koppal, Raichur, Belagavi, Gadag, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Kodagu, and Mysuru districts may also experience heavy rain or thundershowers. Light to moderate rainfall is expected in several other districts, including Bengaluru, Shivamogga, Hassan, and Tumakuru.

Two people died in Kerala.

Heavy rain and strong winds inundated low-lying areas in Kerala, resulting in the deaths of two people. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for five districts in the state. A fisherman died when his boat capsized in Alappuzha, while another person was killed by lightning in Ernakulam.

Several trains cancelled

In view of the impact of the storm, the East Coast Railway and South Central Railway have cancelled several trains as a precautionary measure. The cancelled trains include major trains such as Visakhapatnam-Kirandul, Visakhapatnam-Koraput, Visakhapatnam-Tirupati, and Visakhapatnam-Chennai, running from October 27 to 30.