Cyclone Montha highlights: Storm weakens in Andhra, but heavy rain alert sounded for five states

Cyclone Montha

Cyclone Montha, which made landfall as a severe cyclonic storm, has weakened over coastal Andhra Pradesh, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed in the early hours of Wednesday.

The storm crossed the coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, near Kakinada, on Tuesday evening, unleashing maximum sustained winds of 90-100 kmph, gusting to 110 kmph.

The weather system has since been downgraded to a cyclonic storm and is forecast to weaken further into a deep depression within the next six hours. The IMD predicts the storm will move in a north-easterly direction over the East Central Arabian Sea in the coming 36 hours.

Widespread transport disruption 



The cyclone’s approach caused significant travel chaos across the affected states. In preparation for the severe weather, Gannavaram Airport in Andhra Pradesh cancelled at least 30 flights on Tuesday.

Concurrently, railway authorities in Odisha were forced to cancel 32 train services due to the inclement conditions. Flight operations in Telangana were also reportedly disrupted, according to initial reports.

NDRF on high alert for relief operations 



Ahead of the landfall, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was placed on high alert. An NDRF spokesperson confirmed that 22 teams were on standby, working closely with district administrations and monitoring the situation in collaboration with the IMD.

The force remains prepared for potential rescue and relief operations as the storm continues to move inland and weaken.

Regional forecast: Heavy rains to persist 



While the cyclone’s core wind strength has diminished, the IMD has issued severe weather warnings for a broad swathe of central and eastern India.

Andhra Pradesh & Telangana: Coastal and central districts of Andhra Pradesh, including Prakasam, Nellore and East Godavari, remain on red and orange alerts for heavy rainfall on Wednesday. In Telangana, red alerts for heavy to very heavy rain are in effect for Mulugu, Khammam and B Kothagudem districts.

Odisha & East-Central India

Several districts in Odisha, including Malkangiri and Koraput, are under a red alert. The IMD forecasts torrential downpours will continue to affect Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Gangetic West Bengal until at least October 31. Jharkhand and Bihar are also expected to experience heavy rainfall in the coming days.

Western states The ripple effects of the weather system will also be felt in western India. Madhya Maharashtra is likely to see heavy rainfall on Wednesday, while the Gujarat Region can expect rain and potential thunderstorms with gusty winds until the end of the week.