Bhubaneswar: Cyclonic Storm Montha is currently situated over the southwest and adjoining areas of westcentral and southeast Bay of Bengal. As of 5: 30 am, , the storm has moved northwestwards with a speed of 15 kmph and is centered near latitude 12.2°N and longitude 85.3°E.
According to latest cyclone update, the storm is approximately 560 km east-southeast of Chennai (Tamil Nadu), 620 km south-southeast of Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh), 650 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), 790 km south of Gopalpur (Odisha), and 810 km west of Port Blair (Andaman & Nicobar Islands).
The IMD predicts that the storm will continue to move northwestwards over the southwest and adjoining westcentral Bay of Bengal for the next 12 hours, followed by a north-northwestward trajectory.
The storm is expected to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by the morning of October 28 and make landfall between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam around Kakinada during the evening/night of October 28. At landfall, the storm is expected to bring maximum sustained winds of 90-100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph.
The IMD has issued alerts for several districts in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, with heavy to very heavy rainfall expected in the coming days. The storm’s impact is expected to be significant, with strong winds, heavy rainfall, and storm surges possible in coastal areas.
