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Cyclone Montha live tracker: Evacuations and alerts have been issued in parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh and Odisha – the states that are most likely to be affected at the time of cyclone Montha’s landfall on Tuesday evening.
Several states are on alert as Cyclone Montha intensifies into a ‘severe’ cyclonic storm and is set to make landfall today. Heavy rainfall is expected in Andhra Pradesh, while parts of Tamil Nadu and Odisha have also been placed on red alert.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the cyclone is likely to hit the coastal regions of Andhra Pradesh this evening, though landfall could be delayed until night.
An IMD official said the cyclone may cross the coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.
“It is expected to cross the Andhra coast by Tuesday evening or night between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, near the Kakinada area. Most districts in Andhra Pradesh are likely to experience extremely heavy rainfall and strong winds,” said IMD Hyderabad official GNRS Srinivasa Rao, as quoted by news agency ANI.
Cyclone Montha: Places to be affected by landfall
Andhra Pradesh
The state government has stepped up preparedness to mitigate the cyclone’s impact. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has directed officials to take prompt action to protect lives and minimise damage in coastal regions. An orange alert has been issued for Peddapalli, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, and Mulugu districts, while northeastern districts remain under a yellow alert.
Extremely heavy rainfall, exceeding 20 cm at isolated locations, is likely in southern Andhra Pradesh until Wednesday, October 29.
Odisha
The Odisha government has evacuated people from low-lying areas and hilly regions prone to landslides across eight districts – Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, and Kandhamal. A total of 140 rescue teams, comprising over 5,000 personnel from the NDRF, ODRAF, and Fire Service, have been deployed for relief and rescue operations.
Authorities have also ordered the closure of schools and anganwadi centres in nine districts until October 30 as a precautionary measure. Meanwhile, East Coast Railway has announced the cancellation, diversion, and short termination of several trains operating in the Waltair region and adjoining routes. An orange warning (Be prepared to take action) has been issued for heavy to very heavy rainfall, ranging from 7 to 20 cm, in the districts of Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Nayagarh, Nuapada, Bolangir, Sonepur, Boudh, Khurda, Puri, and Bargarh. A yellow warning (Be aware) of heavy rainfall between 7 and 11 cm has also been forecast for Angul, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Jajpur, Keonjhar, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Jharsuguda, and Sundergarh districts.
Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Maharashtra
In addition to Andhra Pradesh, an orange alert for heavy rain has been issued in parts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region is also expected to receive rainfall until October 30. A yellow alert has been issued for isolated places in Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Wardha, Washim, Yavatmal, Bhandara, Gondia, and Nagpur, warning of rain accompanied by gusty winds reaching speeds of 40–50 kmph, according to Praveen Kumar of the Regional Meteorological Centre, Nagpur.
