Cyclone Montha weakens after landfall in Andhra, heavy rains lash coastal districts

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) early Wednesday, October 29 confirmed that severe cyclonic storm Montha weakened into a cyclonic storm after crossing the Andhra Pradesh coast, unleashing heavy rainfall and strong winds across multiple coastal districts.

According to IMD’s 2:30 a.m. update, “The Severe Cyclonic Storm Montha over coastal Andhra Pradesh moved northwestwards with a speed of 10 kmph and weakened into a Cyclonic Storm.”

The system was centered about 20 km west-northwest of Narsapur, 50 km northeast of Machilipatnam, and 90 km west-southwest of Kakinada. The storm’s movement and intensity are being continuously monitored through Doppler weather radars in Machilipatnam and Visakhapatnam, officials said.

Meteorologists stated that the weakening aligns with earlier forecasts, as Montha began losing strength after moving inland. However, heavy rainfall and gusty winds persisted across West Godavari, Krishna, and East Godavari districts, with warnings issued for possible flash floods in low-lying regions.

Earlier in the night, Cyclone Montha made landfall between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, to the south of Kakinada, affecting both Andhra Pradesh and the Yanam region. The IMD confirmed on platform X that the landfall process was completed shortly after midnight.

The cyclone’s impact was strongly felt along the coast, where torrential rains and gale-force winds uprooted trees, inundated roads, and disrupted electricity supply in several towns and villages. Disaster response teams have been deployed to monitor the situation and assist affected communities.