The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday said cyclonic storm Montha is likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic by October 28 morning.

The IMD also issued a Red Alert for several coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh for Monday, October 27. The storm is forecast to strengthen further into a severe cyclonic storm before making landfall late on Tuesday.

In its bulletin issued at 9:47 am, IMD said that the Cyclonic Storm “Montha” over the Southwest and adjoining Southeast Bay of Bengal moved northwestwards at a speed of 15 kmph during the past six hours.

As of 5:30 am on Monday, it lay centered over the Southwest and adjoining areas of the Westcentral and Southeast Bay of Bengal, near latitude 12.2°N and longitude 85.3°E, approximately:

560 km east-southeast of Chennai (Tamil N

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