Cyclone Montha to intensify into a severe storm; landfall near Kakinada on October 28 evening
Wind speeds of 90-100 km/h gusting to 110 km/h are expected at landfall
Red alert for 13 districts in Andhra Pradesh; orange alert for Odisha, Tamil Nadu
Over 50,000 people evacuated; schools closed in multiple states
Cyclone Montha Alert: IMD Tracks Path, Landfall Time, and Emergency Measures for Coastal States
Cyclone Montha, the first major storm of the 2025 post-monsoon season, is rapidly intensifying over the Bay of Bengal. As of October 27, it lies east-southeast of Chennai and is expected to strengthen into a severe cyclonic storm by October 28, posing a serious threat to India’s eastern coast.
Summary
Cyclone Montha, the first major cyclonic storm of the 2025 post-monsoon season, is rapidly intensifying over the Bay of Bengal and poses a severe threat to India's eastern coast. The system originated as a low-pressure area over the southeast Bay of Bengal on October 25, escalating into a deep depression by October 26 and strengthening into a cyclonic storm on Sunday. The name "Montha," meaning "beautiful" or "fragrant flower" in Thai, was contributed by Thailand to the WMO's North Indian Ocean cyclone naming list.
As of Monday, October 27, at 5:30 AM, Cyclone Montha was centered approximately 560 km east-southeast of Chennai, 620 km south-southeast of Kakinada, and 650 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam. The system is moving northwestwards at 15 km/h and is expected to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by October 28 morning.
Cyclone Montha Path
The IMD forecasts Cyclone Montha will continue moving west-northwestwards over the southwest and west-central Bay of Bengal before turning north-northwestwards. The cyclone will cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, centered around Kakinada, during the evening or night of October 28, 2025. After landfall, the system will weaken while moving inland, with moisture-laden bands continuing to bring rain over Telangana, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha through October 30.
Real-time tracking is available through IMD website, Cyclocane, Windy.com, and Zoom Earth, offering satellite imagery and hourly updates.
Cyclone Montha: Rainfall Forecast and Wind Speed Predictions
At landfall, maximum sustained wind speeds will reach 90-100 km/h with gusts up to 110 km/h. Extremely heavy rainfall is forecast across multiple states from October 27-30. Heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected in coastal Andhra Pradesh from October 26-30, Tamil Nadu from October 27-28, and Telangana from October 27-30. West Bengal, Sikkim, Jharkhand, and Bihar will witness light to moderate rainfall from October 29-31, with heavy rainfall at isolated places.
Storm surge will raise water levels by 1-2 meters above astronomical tides near Kakinada. Squally winds reaching 40-60 km/h will commence on October 26, intensifying to 90-100 km/h during landfall.
Cyclone Montha Impact Zones
Red alerts have been issued for 13 coastal Andhra Pradesh districts, including Kakinada, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, and Krishna. Orange alerts cover southern Odisha districts, including Gajapati, Ganjam, and Malkangiri, plus Tamil Nadu's northern districts, including Chennai and Tiruvallur. West Bengal faces heavy rainfall from October 28-31 across South 24 Parganas, Medinipur, and Kolkata.
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Safety Tips and Emergency Measures
India has evacuated over 50,000 people to relief camps, with Odisha targeting zero casualties through proactive evacuations. Schools remain closed in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal until October 30. Complete fishing bans have been imposed from October 26-30.
Residents should secure outdoor items, stock supplies including water, medicines, and batteries, avoid unnecessary travel, and follow official weather updates. Disaster response teams, including NDRF and SDRF, are deployed at strategic locations.
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