Cyclone ‘Montha’ to cross Andhra coast tonight; heavy rainfall predicted in southern Odisha

Bhubaneswar, Oct 28: The cyclonic storm ‘Montha’, currently positioned about 530 km south-southwest of Gopalpur over the Bay of Bengal, is steadily advancing toward the Andhra Pradesh coast. According to a bulletin issued by the Centre for Environment and Climate (CEC) of SOA Deemed to be University, the system is expected to make landfall south of Visakhapatnam, between 11 pm and 1 am on Tuesday night.

The cyclone, moving at a speed of around 12 km per hour, is likely to bring wind speeds of 75–85 kmph at the time of landfall. After crossing the coast, it will gradually weaken while moving through the Malkangiri, Koraput, and Nabarangpur districts of Odisha, where wind speeds may range between 40–50 kmph.

Under its influence, heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected in southern Odisha districts, including Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Gajapati, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, and Rayagada on Tuesday night and Wednesday. Additionally, Balangir, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, and Deogarh may experience moderate to heavy showers, while coastal regions could witness light to moderate rain during the period.