Cyclone Montha Makes Landfall in Andhra; Heavy Rains, 100 kmph Winds Lash Coastal Areas

The Meteorological Department stated on Tuesday that severe cyclonic storm Montha is expected to continue to be intense for six hours after it makes landfall across interior Andhra Pradesh and the surrounding regions, including south Odisha.

Until October 29, the Met Department predicts that most of Andhra Pradesh and Yanam will see light to moderate rainfall, with a few areas seeing heavy to very heavy rainfall.

In a similar vein, it predicted exceptionally high rainfall totals of over 20 cm in certain locations throughout the same time frame.

"The severe cyclonic storm Montha is likely to maintain the intensity of a cyclonic storm for a period of six hours after the landfall over interior Andhra Pradesh and adjoining areas of south Odisha, south Chhattisgarh and Telangana," a Met Department press release said.

For October 30, it forecast light to moderate rainfall at many places with heavy rainfall at isolated places over north coastal Andhra Pradesh.

In a bulletin sent at 10:50 p.m. Tuesday, the Meteorological Department stated that Montha's landfall, which started at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, would last for an additional two to three hours.

According to a Met Department officer who spoke to PTI, the weather system's radius alone is up to 300 km long, which is how long it would take for the full severe cyclonic storm to go across the southern state's coastline.

At 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the weather system over the west central Bay of Bengal was concentrated between the shores of Andhra Pradesh and Yanam after moving northwestward at a speed of 15 kmph over the previous six hours.

It is located about 100 km south to southwest of Kakinada, 50 km east of Machilipatnam, 480 km southwest of Gopalpur (Odisha) and 240 km southwest of Visakhapatnam.

"It is likely to move northwestwards and cross Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, south of Kakinada during the next two hours as a severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 kmph and gusting up to 110 kmph," said the Met Department.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu held a teleconference with village and ward secretariat personnel from the RealTime Governance System (RTGS) in the secretariat.

The CM said the impact of Montha is being felt in coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema districts also.

"We have estimated that the cyclone will cross the coast at midnight," said Naidu in an official press release, adding that heavy winds broke up and uprooted trees.

He emphasised that ward and village secretariat staff are the state government's representatives in the communities and stated that this waste is routinely removed.

The CM urged them to notify authorities of local conditions and provide aid to cyclone victims right away.

He also demanded that power be restored in areas where it had been interrupted.

Naidu and regional railway officials conversed with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in the meantime.

He discussed the choices made to resume work right away after Montha, which translates as "fragrant flower" in Thai, hit the area.He emphasised that ward and village secretariat staff are the state government's representatives in the communities and stated that this debris is routinely removed.

The CM urged them to notify authorities of local conditions and provide aid to cyclone victims right away.

He also demanded that power be restored in areas where it had been interrupted.

Naidu and regional railway officials conversed with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in the meantime.

He discussed the choices made to resume work right away after Montha, which translates as "fragrant flower" in Thai, hit the area.

"Thank you Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for your concern and support on cyclone Montha. The Union and State Governments stand prepared together to mitigate the impact of the cyclone, prioritising the safety of our people," said Naidu in a post on X.

Vaishnaw reviewed the preparedness of the Railways in the southern state.

War rooms have been activated at Divisional, Zonal and Board levels, ensuring real-time coordination and rapid response, said a press release from the Waltair Railway Division.

"Essential resources and manpower have been strategically positioned in Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, and Guntur maintaining round-the-clock vigilance to ensure minimal disruption to train operations and passenger safety," it said.

In order to guarantee the earliest possible normalisation of train services and necessary connectivity, the Railway Minister underlined that repair work will start immediately after landfall.

Four trains scheduled for Wednesday have been cancelled by the East Coast Railway Zone's Waltair Division.

Likewise, the South Central Railway (SCR) Zone's Vijayawada Division has cancelled four trains that were scheduled for October 29 and rerouted three more that were scheduled for October 28.

With PTI inputs.