Landfall underway as Cyclone Montha hits Andhra coast, says IMD
Cyclone Montha has begun landfall near Kakinada, says IMD; heavy rains and 100 kmph winds to lash Andhra coast for the next few hours
Cyclone Montha is set to make landfall on Tuesday (October 28) evening along the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kakinada. It has intensified into a severe cyclonic storm with sustained winds of 90-100 km per hour, gusting up to 110 km per hour.
The system lay centred around 190 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam and 270 km south-southeast of Kakinada early Tuesday morning, moving north-northwestwards at about 15 km per hour. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for 19 coastal districts in Andhra Pradesh for extremely heavy rainfall (over 20 cm in 24 hours), an orange alert for a few inland districts, and a yellow alert for the hinterland.
Flights between Chennai and Andhra destinations, including Visakhapatnam, were cancelled due to worsening weather conditions. In Odisha, large-scale evacuations have been made in eight southern districts under a red alert, with over 5,000 central and state rescue personnel already deployed.
The priority is declared as “zero casualty”; special focus is on hilly terrain prone to landslides. Meanwhile, adjoining regions such as Maharashtra’s Vidarbha are preparing for moderate to heavy rain and thunderstorms associated with the cyclone’s periphery.
Also Read:
Cyclone Montha: Andhra, Odisha brace for landfall today; flights cancelled
Cyclone Montha brings rain and gales to coastal Andhra; authorities on high alert
Montha to intensify into severe cyclone by Oct 28; Odisha begins evacuation
Cyclone Montha: All 30 Odisha districts on alert; south Bengal braces for rain too
Cyclone Montha: Andhra braces for landfall, prepares action plan; Odisha on alert
Check here for live updates
Live Updates
- 28 Oct 2025 12:42 PM IST
Odisha CM Majhi reviews preparedness for Cyclone Montha
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, along with Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, chaired a high-level meeting at Lok Seva Bhavan, Bhubaneswar, to review the state’s preparedness for Cyclone Montha.
Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, SRC D. K. Singh, DGP Yogesh Bahadur Khurania, Fire Services DG Sudhanshu Sarangi, IMD Director Manorama Mohanty, and senior departmental officials attended the meeting.
District Collectors from cyclone-prone areas joined virtually to assess readiness measures. The meeting focused on coordination among departments and swift response planning to minimise potential damage and ensure effective disaster management across vulnerable coastal regions.
- 28 Oct 2025 12:39 PM IST
NDRF pre-deploys 25 teams in five states for Cyclone Montha
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has pre-deployed 25 teams across coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, and Puducherry in view of Cyclone Montha. Additionally, 20 more teams remain on standby at key locations for swift deployment if needed. According to the NDRF, “each team is equipped with boats, cutting equipment, communication gear, and other specialised rescue tools to carry out evacuation, relief, and restoration operations.” The force said these measures aim to ensure a quick response and minimise damage in the event of the cyclone’s landfall.
