The cyclonic storm Montha is gaining strength over the southwest and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday. It is moving west-northwest at around 16 kmph as of 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 27, the weather agency said in its latest bulletin.
The storm is about 600 km east-southeast of Chennai and 680 km south-southeast of Kakinada. It is also 710 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam, 790 km west of Port Blair and 850 km south of Gopalpur. Montha is expected to keep moving west-northwest over the southwest and west-central Bay of Bengal during the next 12 hours.
When Will Cyclonic Storm 'Montha' Make Landfall?
In the next 12 hours, Montha is likely to move northwestwards, then north-northwestwards and “intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by morning of Tuesday. Continuing to move further north-northwestwards, it is very likely to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam around Kakinada during the evening/night of Tuesday as a severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph,” the IMD noted.
Heavy rainfall and strong winds are expected in coastal states such as Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
Cyclone Montha: Which States Will Be Affected?
Due to Cyclonic Storm “Montha,” coastal states along the Bay of Bengal are likely to experience heavy rainfall. Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are on high alert as the Indian Army and state authorities are preparing emergency measures to minimise damage.
Odisha is likely to experience “extremely” heavy rainfall on Oct. 28 and 29 due to the upcoming severe cyclonic storm, the IMD warned, issuing a “yellow” alert for districts such as Cuttak, Bhadarak, Balasore, Kendrapara, among others. The IMD warned that isolated heavy rainfall and thunderstorms with lightning are likely. Gusty surface winds may reach speeds of 30–40 kmph in affected areas.
The IMD has issued a red alert for Andhra Pradesh and an orange alert for Odisha, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall with isolated extremely heavy rainfall on Oct. 27.
“Extremely” heavy rainfall may occur at isolated places in coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam and Telangana. Heavy rainfall and thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds of 30–40 kmph are likely in Tamil Nadu on Oct. 28. These areas are likely to continue to experience rainfall, thunderstorms and lightning this week.
States such as West Bengal, Sikkim, Jharkhand and Bihar are likely to witness light to moderate rainfall over most regions and potential heavy rainfall at isolated places between Oct. 29 and 31. Thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds are also likely during this period. Chhattisgarh will experience “extremely” heavy rainfall on Oct. 28.
Cyclonic Storm Montha Live Tracker
Here is the live tracker map from windy.com, which shows the movement and route of Cyclone Montha over the next few days.
If the above map is not visible, then you can check the live tracking of Cyclone Montha here on Zoom Earth.