The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said early Wednesday that severe cyclonic storm Montha weakened into a cyclonic storm after crossing the Andhra Pradesh coast, bringing heavy rain and gusty winds to several coastal districts.
“The Severe Cyclonic Storm Montha over coastal Andhra Pradesh moved northwestwards with a speed of 10 kmph and weakened into a Cyclonic Storm,” the IMD said in its 2:30 a.m. update.
The storm was centered about 20 km west-northwest of Narsapur, 50 km northeast of Machilipatnam, and 90 km west-southwest of Kakinada, according to the weather office. It is being continuously tracked through Doppler radars at Machilipatnam and Visakhapatnam.
Officials said the weakening was in line with earlier projections as the storm moved inland and began losing strength. Heavy rain and gusty winds continued to pound West Godavari, Krishna, and East Godavari districts, with warnings issued for flooding in low-lying areas.
Earlier, Cyclone Montha swept across the Andhra Pradesh and Yanan coasts between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam in the early hours of Wednesday, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
“The latest observations indicate that the severe cyclonic storm ‘Montha’ has crossed the Andhra Pradesh and Yanan coasts between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, to the south of Kakinada,” the IMD said in a post on X, confirming the landfall process had been completed shortly after midnight.
Coastal areas experienced heavy rain and gale-force winds as the cyclone barreled through, uprooting trees and disrupting power supply in several districts.
Earlier, in a 9:30 pm bulletin, the IMD said the severe cyclonic storm moved northwestwards with a speed of 15 km/hour and lay centred about 60 km east of Machilipatnam (Andhra Pradesh), 100 km south-southwest of Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh), 230 km southwest of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and 480 km southwest of Gopalpur (Odisha).
The after effects of Cyclone Montha are expected to be felt in parts of Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand and West Bengal. Heavy rain has been predicted in these states for the next few days.
Also Read: Cyclone Montha landfall today; heavy rain hits coastal AP, Odisha
The Andhra Pradesh government announced a complete suspension of vehicle movement in seven cyclone-affected districts — Krishna, Eluru, East Godavari, West Godavari, Kakinada, Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema, and parts of Alluri Sitarama Raju (Chinturu and Rampachodavaram divisions) — from 8:30 pm until 6 am on Wednesday.
Only emergency medical services are exempt from the night curfew. Authorities have urged residents to stay indoors, avoid unnecessary travel and remain alert to official safety advisories.
District Collectors and Superintendents of Police have been directed to halt all road traffic, including on national highways passing through these districts.
Ahead of the landfall, power supply was disrupted on Manginapudi Beach Road in Machilipatnam after a palm tree fell on the power lines due to strong winds. Authorities were working to restore the power supply.
Also Read: Cyclone Montha hits AP coast, one killed, two hurt
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