Cyclone Montha likely to hit Andhra on Oct 28; rain alert for Odisha, Tamil Nadu

Cyclone Montha, which is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm by Monday, is expected to make landfall on the coast of Andhra Pradesh in the evening or night of October 28, with wind speeds touching 90-100 km/hour. As the cyclone nears, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heavy rain alert for states like Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry for the next few days.

The weather system strengthened into a deep depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal and is likely to intensify into a cyclonic by Monday morning (October 27) and a severe cyclonic storm by October 28 (Tuesday).

Cyclone Montha is expected to make landfall on the Andhra Pradesh coast near Kakinada, between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, on Tuesday evening or night, with wind speeds of 90–100 km/hour gusting to 110 km/hour.

All NDRF and SDRF teams have been kept on standby and additional teams are ready for deployment during critical situations. The IMD has asked fishermen not to venture into the sea from October 26-29 along and off the coast of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry (Yanam) and Odisha.

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