Severe cyclonic storm Montha made landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coast near Kakinada on Tuesday evening and is expected to retain its strength for at least six hours as it moves inland over interior Andhra Pradesh and adjoining areas of south Odisha, Telangana and south Chhattisgarh, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
In its 10:50 pm bulletin, the IMD said the landfall, which began around 7:30 pm, would continue for another two to three hours. The system, moving northwestward at 15 kmph, was centred close to the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts, about 100 km south-southwest of Kakinada, 50 km east of Machilipatnam, 240 km southwest of Visakhapatnam and 480 km southwest of Gopalpur in Odisha.
The storm is likely to cross the coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, south of Kakinada, with wind speeds of 90–100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph. The IMD forecast extremely heavy rainfall of more than 20 cm at isolated places and heavy to very heavy rain in parts of Andhra Pradesh and Yanam till Wednesday, with heavy rainfall likely over north coastal Andhra Pradesh on October 30.
An IMD official told news agency PTI that the storm’s radius extends up to 300 km, explaining the prolonged landfall duration.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, reviewing the situation via teleconference with Real Time Governance System (RTGS) officials and village secretariats, said the cyclone’s impact was being felt across coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema. “We estimate the cyclone will cross the coast around midnight,” Naidu said, adding that strong winds had uprooted trees, which were being cleared promptly.
He instructed local officials to provide immediate relief to affected families and restore power supply in disrupted areas.
A woman died at Makanagudem village in Konaseema district as an uprooted palmyra tree fell on her due to gales, reported PTI.
Strong winds have already been recorded across the coastal belt, with speeds reaching 82 kmph in Machilipatnam, 54 kmph in Bapatla, 47 kmph in Kavali, 37 kmph at Rajahmundry airport, and 34 kmph in Kakinada.
The IMD has warned of extremely heavy rainfall, gale-force winds, and storm surges along low-lying coastal areas, urging residents to remain indoors and follow official safety advisories as the landfall process continues through midnight.
Disaster response teams from the NDRF and SDRF are on the ground in East and West Godavari, Kakinada, and Krishna districts, coordinating rescue and relief operations.
Heavy rain, gale-force winds, and flooding have battered vast swathes of the state, According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), standing crops spread over 38,000 hectares and horticulture crops in 1.38 lakh hectares have been destroyed due to the cyclone’s impact. Preliminary assessments suggest widespread damage across agricultural belts and coastal mandals.
The government said Montha has affected 403 mandals across 22 districts. A total of 488 control rooms have been set up at the mandal level to coordinate relief operations, while nearly 76,000 people have been shifted to safer locations in relief camps. Another 219 medical camps have been established to provide emergency care.
To ensure uninterrupted communication and power supply for rescue efforts, 81 wireless towers and 21 large lamps have been installed. Additionally, 1,447 earthmovers, 321 drones, and 1,040 chainsaws have been deployed to clear uprooted trees and debris.
As part of preparedness measures, 3.6 crore alert messages were disseminated to residents, and 865 tonnes of animal fodder were arranged in advance. The government has also positioned 3,000 generators in village and ward secretariats to maintain power in critical facilities.
Officials informed Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu during a review meeting that Nellore district had recorded the highest rainfall so far, with Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam, and Anakapalli also witnessing intense downpours.
The CMO said the cyclone’s impact would remain severe through the night, particularly across Krishna, Eluru, East and West Godavari, Kakinada, Dr B R Ambedkar Konaseema, and parts of Alluri Sitarama Raju districts.
Vehicular movement in these seven districts has been suspended from 8.30 pm Tuesday to 6 am Wednesday, with exemptions only for emergency medical services. Naidu directed officials to ensure food and drinking water for those stranded due to travel restrictions.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday said the state escaped major damage from severe cyclonic storm Montha, which made landfall on the Andhra Pradesh coast around 7 pm, bringing relief even as precautionary measures remained in place.
Reviewing the post-landfall situation at the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) control room, Majhi said there were only minor incidents of landslides and uprooting of trees in some areas. “Barring a few stray cases of landslide and tree felling, there has been no major incident even after three hours of landfall. The damages reported so far are much less than anticipated,” he told reporters, thanking Lord Jagannath for sparing Odisha from a major calamity.
The chief minister spent over an hour at the SDMA control room, taking feedback from collectors of eight southern districts ,Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and Kandhamal, where a red alert had been issued.
Majhi said the government was maintaining close watch as Montha moved inland, noting that the rainfall was lower than expected. “Gajapati and Ganjam districts recorded 115 mm of rainfall each against the forecast of over 200 mm. Malkangiri, which is close to the cyclone’s landfall area in Andhra Pradesh, also did not receive heavy rain,” he said.
A supply assistant, Surendra Gamang, deployed at a cyclone shelter in Potara panchayat, died after falling ill on Monday night while moving villagers to safety. Police are investigating the cause of death.
A mud-walled house collapsed in Mohana, injuring one person, while strong winds tore off tin roofs in several Rayagada villages.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi reviewed the situation late Tuesday, reaffirming the state’s “Zero Casualty” target. Over 2,000 shelters have been activated and 153 rescue teams — comprising more than 6,000 personnel from NDRF, ODRAF and Fire Services — are on standby across the affected districts.
As many as 1,871 pregnant women were shifted to health centres since Monday, with 452 deliveries reported. Schools and anganwadi centres in nine districts will remain closed till October 30.
The East Coast Railway cancelled 61 trains, diverted two and short-terminated five others due to the cyclone’s impact. All beaches have been sealed and government staff leave cancelled till October 30, the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) D K Singh said.
A lifeguard in Puri was injured after tourists allegedly assaulted him for preventing them from entering the sea. The woman accompanying the tourist reportedly attacked him with slippers, police said.
The IMD advised fishermen to stay away from the sea till October 29 as conditions remain “rough to very rough.” Local cautionary signal (LC-III) has been hoisted at Gopalpur, while distant warning signal (DW-II) is in place at Paradip, Dhamra, Puri, Chhatrapur and Chandbali.
In a video message, Leader of the Opposition Naveen Patnaik urged people to cooperate with the administration. “We have successfully faced many storms before. Don’t panic, stay alert, and stand by one another,” he said.
Montha—which means “a fragrant flower” in Thai, continues to unleash heavy to extremely heavy rainfall across coastal Andhra, Rayalaseema, Telangana, south Chhattisgarh, and Odisha.
Authorities have urged residents in affected areas to stay indoors, avoid coastal zones, and follow safety advisories until conditions improve.
(With inputs from PTI)
