Andhra Pradesh, Odisha on high alert as Cyclone Montha approaches

As Cyclone Montha prepares to make landfall, multiple states in India have begun evacuating their coastal districts.

Cyclone Montha has grown into a powerful cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast strong winds and heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in both inland and coastal areas.

The Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) reported that the storm system was intensifying at 18 kmph, and light to moderate rains had already begun in coastal areas.

The cyclone, which means ‘fragrant flower’ in Thai, is predicted to hit land on the Andhra Pradesh coast close to Kakinada, between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, in the evening or night of October 28.

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS