Cyclone Montha in the Bay of Bengal is racing towards the Andhra Pradesh coast and is likely to intensify into a severe cyclone before making landfall near Kakinada on Tuesday night, officials of the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) said on Monday.

The coastal districts have been placed on high alert in view of forecasts predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall and strong gales with wind speeds reaching up to 110 kmph.

According to APSDMA, the deep depression intensified into a cyclonic storm on Monday morning. The cyclone moved at a speed of 15 kmph over the last six hours and is currently centered about 560 km from Chennai, 620 km from Kakinada, and 650 km from Visakhapatnam, said APSDMA Managing Director Prakhar Jain.

As the cyclone approaches the coast, its

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