The India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed early Wednesday, October 29, that Severe Cyclonic Storm Montha has weakened into a cyclonic storm following its traverse across the Andhra Pradesh coast. This system, however, has unleashed a torrent of heavy rainfall and strong winds across multiple coastal districts, causing significant disruption. The IMD’s 2:30 a.m. update stated, “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 specifically centred approximately 20 km west-northwest of Narsapur, 50 km northeast of Machilipatnam, and 90 km west-southwest of Kakinada. Officials are using Doppler weather radars in Machilipatnam and Visakhapatnam to continuously monitor its movement and intensity.
Meteorologists noted that this weakening aligns with earlier forecasts, predicting the loss of strength as Montha moved inland after completing its landfall process shortly after midnight. The storm had previously made landfall between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, south of Kakinada, affecting both Andhra Pradesh and the Yanam region. Despite its downgrade, heavy rainfall and gusty winds persisted across West Godavari, Krishna, and East Godavari districts, leading to warnings for possible flash floods in low-lying areas.
The intense impact of the cyclone was strongly felt along the coast, where torrential rains and gale-force winds uprooted trees, inundated roads, and disrupted the electricity supply in numerous towns and villages. Disaster response teams have been quickly deployed across the affected areas to monitor the evolving situation and provide assistance to impacted communities.
