Coastal Andhra braces for Cyclone ‘Montha’, one dead, flights cancelled

Amaravati, Oct 28: The severe cyclonic storm ‘Montha’ over the west-central Bay of Bengal is set to make landfall between Machilipatnam and Kakinada on Tuesday evening or night, bringing heavy rains and strong winds across coastal Andhra Pradesh.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the cyclone named Montha—which means a fragrant flower in Thai, lay centred around 1.30 pm about 100 km off Machilipatnam and 180 km off Kakinada, moving north-northwestwards at 10 kmph.

It is expected to cross the coast with wind speeds of 90–100 kmph gusting up to 110 kmph. From Visakhapatnam, the cyclone’s centre was located about 270 km away.

The first fatality linked to the cyclone was reported from Makanagudem village in Konaseema district, where a woman died after an uprooted tree fell on her, officials said.

Several areas in the coastal region have reported heavy rainfall and strong gales since Monday night. Machilipatnam recorded 5.2 mm of rainfall since 8.30 am, Narasapur 9.8 mm, Tuni 15.6 mm, Kakinada 5.7 mm and Visakhapatnam 0.2 mm. Continuous rain has also lashed Nellore district for over 36 hours, with several pockets recording up to 7 cm in the past 24 hours.

“Nineteen relief camps are operational and over 700 people have taken shelter there,” Nellore District Collector Himanshu Shukla said. He added that there were no immediate concerns from rivers or irrigation tanks and that power supply remained stable across the district.

Across 22 districts, the state government has set up 3,174 rehabilitation centres equipped with food and essential items, manned by 3,778 officials. The highest number of centres have been opened in Konaseema (650), Bapatla (481) and East Godavari (376).

Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) Managing Director Prakhar Jain said heavy to very heavy rainfall was likely across Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli, Konaseema and Nellore districts. “People should not step out under any circumstances,” he warned, urging the public to stay in contact with control rooms for emergency help.

The cyclone has disrupted air and rail services across the state. All 32 flights scheduled from Visakhapatnam Airport were cancelled on Tuesday, along with 16 flights from Vijayawada and four from Tirupati. The South Central Railway cancelled 120 trains over two days, diverting and rescheduling several others as a precautionary measure.

Authorities have advised residents in low-lying coastal areas to remain indoors and follow official safety advisories until weather conditions improve. Fishing operations along the coast have also been completely suspended until further notice.

PTI