Cyclone Montha makes landfall in Andhra Pradesh coast, storm to continue for next 2 hours alerts Met Dept

On Tuesday (Oct 28), a severe cyclonic storm Montha started making landfall in Bay of Bengal near Andhra Pradesh’s Kakinada as reported by India Meteorological Department (IMD). The word ‘montha’ literally translates fragrant flower in Thai.The cyclonic storm will move north-northwestwards, it will cross the coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. Montha will be a severe storm for 3-4 hours with a wind speed of 90-100 kmph to 110 kmph as alerted by IMD.

In its latest update on X, IMD posted, “Montha is likely to move northwestwards and cross Andhra Pradesh & Yanam coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, to the south of Kakinada during next 2 hours as a severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph.”

New agency PTI quoted a police officer saying that a woman in Andhra Pradesh's Konaseema district died after a tree collapsed on her. This was the path of the severe cyclonic storm.

In the wake of Severe Cyclonic Storm (SCS) Montha, over 35 flights between Shamshabad in Telangana and Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, and Rajahmundry airports in Andhra Pradesh were cancelled, GMR Airports said and as reported by news agency ANI.

A total of 30 IndiGo, two Air India and five Air India Express flights have been cancelled as the SCS Month approaches the Andhra Pradesh coast around Kakinada. Cyclones are caused by atmospheric disturbances around a low-pressure area distinguished by swift and often destructive air circulation. Cyclones are usually accompanied by violent storms and bad weather. The air circulates inward in an anticlockwise direction in the Northern hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern hemisphere.

(With agency inputs)