Cyclone Montha to make landfall on October 28; rain alert on for Odisha, Tamil Nadu
The cyclonic storm Montha is expected to form in the Bay of Bengal, intensify further and make landfall near Kakinada on the Andhra Pradesh on 28 October.
Disaster management teams in Odisha are on a high alert in view of an upcoming cyclonic storm, Montha, brewing in the Bay of Bengal. Ahead of its landfall, a heavy rainfall alert has been issued for the state from October 27 onwards.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a severe cyclonic storm is expected to form in the Bay of Bengal by October 26, and then intensify further and make landfall near Kakinada on the Andhra Pradesh coast area, between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, on the evening or night of 28 October.
Heavy rain warning
Due to the cyclone, Andhra Pradesh is likely to receive heavy to extremely heavy rainfall from October 27 to October 28, over some places in Yanam and Rayalaseema. As per the Met Centre, a yellow warning has been issued for the entire Andhra Pradesh for October 26.
Odisha is also likely to experience heavy to extremely heavy rainfall expected in several districts, including Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput, and Malkangiri, on 28 and 29 October. Wind speeds will increase to 60–70 km/h, with gusts up to 80 km/h in some districts.
In Tamil Nadu, light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy rainfall at isolated places is expected during 25th to 26th & on 28th October.
Cyclone location
According to IMD, the depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal moved slightly towards the west-northwest in the past six hours. As of 11:30 pm on October 25, it was located about 850 km east-southeast of Chennai, 890 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam and 890 km southeast of Kakinada.
Also read: Odisha on high alert ahead of cyclone, fishermen advised caution
Seeing the cyclone warning in Odisha, the fire department is on high alert. Fire Officer Prabhat Kumar said that the department is preparing for the approaching storm with the SRC boat and draft team prepared. Health facilities are also kept ready, and efforts are being made to shift pregnant mothers expecting in the next few days.
