Severe Cyclonic Storm Montha weakened into a cyclonic storm early Wednesday after crossing the Andhra Pradesh coast, bringing with it torrential rain, fierce winds, and widespread disruption across several coastal districts, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
According to the IMD’s 2:30 a.m. update, the system, which had been moving northwestward at around 10 kmph. gradually lost intensity as it advanced inland. “The Severe Cyclonic Storm Montha over coastal Andhra Pradesh moved northwestwards with a speed of 10 kmph and weakened into a Cyclonic Storm,” the weather office said.
At the time of the latest observation, the storm was centered about 20 km west-northwest of Narsapur, 50 km northeast of Machilipatnam, and 90 km west-southwest of Kakinada. The IMD said Doppler Weather Radars at Machilipatnam and Visakhapatnam were continuously tracking its progress.
(A) Severe Cyclonic Storm “Montha” [Pronunciation: Mon-Tha] weakened into a Cyclonic Storm over coastal Andhra Pradesh
The Severe Cyclonic Storm “Montha” [Pronunciation: Mon-Tha] over coastal Andhra Pradesh moved nearly northwestwards with a speed of 10 kmph during past six… pic.twitter.com/cDQmMDqdVm
— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) October 28, 2025
Officials noted that the weakening was expected, as cyclones tend to lose strength once they make landfall. However, heavy rain and gusty winds continued to lash West Godavari, Krishna, and East Godavari districts, prompting flood warnings for low-lying regions.
Cyclone Montha Makes Landfall, Triggers Power Disruptions
Earlier in the night, Cyclone Montha made landfall between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, impacting the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts. The IMD confirmed that the landfall process was completed shortly after midnight.
As the storm roared through, several areas witnessed intense rainfall and gale-force winds. Trees were uprooted, electricity poles snapped, and power supply was disrupted in many parts of the state.
VIDEO | Cyclone Montha: Andhra Pradesh Police personnel clear fallen trees and restore traffic movement in Epurupalem, Vetapalem, and nearby areas after strong winds hit the region.
(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvqRQz) pic.twitter.com/Ba0UotJzOW
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 28, 2025
In its 9:30 p.m. bulletin on Tuesday, the IMD had said that the storm was moving northwestward at 15 kmph and was located about 60 km east of Machilipatnam, 100 km south-southwest of Kakinada, and 230 km southwest of Visakhapatnam.
The storm’s impact is expected to extend beyond Andhra Pradesh, with heavy rainfall predicted in Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, and West Bengal over the next few days.
Night Curfew in Seven Andhra Districts
In view of the severe weather, the Andhra Pradesh government imposed a night curfew on vehicular movement in seven cyclone-affected districts — Krishna, Eluru, East Godavari, West Godavari, Kakinada, Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema, and parts of Alluri Sitarama Raju, from 8:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Wednesday.
Only emergency medical services were exempted. Authorities urged residents to remain indoors, avoid travel, and follow official safety advisories. District Collectors and Superintendents of Police were instructed to stop all road traffic, including on national highways.
VERY HEAVY RAINS ALERT – CYCLONE MONTHA PEAK IMPACT ⚠️
As Cyclone Montha moving inland, VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS ahead in RED MARKED DISTRICTS with few places to get 80-180mm rains causing FLOODS in few places. STAY ALERT ⚠️🌧️
BLUE MARKED districts will get MODERATE RAINS today… pic.twitter.com/vMGDKP2eqy
— Telangana Weatherman (@balaji25_t) October 29, 2025
Ahead of landfall, power lines on Manginapudi Beach Road in Machilipatnam were damaged when strong winds toppled a palm tree, disrupting electricity supply. Restoration work began soon after.
Flights, Trains Cancelled as Heavy Rains Continue
Under Montha’s influence, heavy rainfall was reported across coastal Andhra. Machilipatnam recorded 5.2 mm of rain, Narasapur 9.8 mm, Tuni 15.6 mm, Kakinada 5.7 mm, and Visakhapatnam 0.2 mm since Tuesday morning.
Nellore district has been receiving continuous rain for the past 36 hours, with an average of five cm in 24 hours and some areas recording up to seven cm. Officials said monitoring teams were on high alert in both urban and rural zones.
In Konaseema district, a woman died in Makanagudem village when a tree uprooted by strong winds fell on her house, police said.
Flight operations across Andhra Pradesh were also severely affected. A total of 32 flights were cancelled at Visakhapatnam airport, 16 at Vijayawada, and four at Tirupati. Meanwhile, 120 trains were cancelled across the South Central Railway zone on Monday and Tuesday as a precaution.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) deployed 45 teams for relief and rescue operations across affected regions.
Odisha on High Alert as Montha Moves North
Neighbouring Odisha also went into high alert, anticipating heavy rain and strong winds as the cyclone moved inland. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said more than 2,000 disaster relief centres had been activated across eight southern districts, sheltering over 11,000 people.
Tourist access has been restricted to popular destinations like Deomali and Mahendragiri hills, and several beaches have been closed to visitors. The state government has also cancelled leaves of government employees till October 30 and advised fishermen to stay off the Bay of Bengal coast till October 29.
#WATCH | Odisha | Strong winds in Gopalpur Beach of Ganjam district after the landfall of cyclone Montha. pic.twitter.com/YwXb9QpuKq
— ANI (@ANI) October 29, 2025
The East Coast Railway announced train cancellations, diversions, and short terminations in the Waltair region and nearby routes.
IMD Issues Red Alert for Odisha
The IMD has issued a red alert for Tuesday, forecasting extremely heavy rainfall in the districts of Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, and Ganjam.
An orange alert, warning of heavy to very heavy rain between 7 and 20 cm, has been issued for Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Nayagarh, Nuapada, Bolangir, Sonepur, Boudh, Khurda, Puri, and Bargarh.
A yellow alert, indicating heavy rainfall of 7 to 11 cm, was issued for Angul, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Jajpur, Keonjhar, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Jharsuguda, and Sundergarh.
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reviewed preparedness through video conferencing with top officials of the East Coast and South Central Railways, directing them to ensure passenger safety, train regulation, and close coordination with local administrations and disaster management teams.
