Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued red and orange alerts for several southern Odisha districts as Cyclone Montha intensified into a severe cyclonic storm over the west-central Bay of Bengal on Monday.

Briefing the media, Bhubaneswar IMD Director Dr Manorama Mohanty said the cyclone currently lies about 510 km south-southwest of Gopalpur. “It is very likely to move north-northwestward and cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, around Kakinada, during the evening or night of October 28 as a severe cyclonic storm,” she stated.

At the time of landfall, the wind speed is expected to range between 90 and 110 km per hour, she added.

Due to the system’s impact, the IMD has issued red warnings for heavy to extremely heavy rainfall

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