Cyclone Montha: Sea turns rough off Kakinada-Uppada beach along Andhra coast amid strong winds - watch video

NEW DELHI: Visuals from Andhra Pradesh’s Kakinada-Uppada beach on Tuesday evening showed the sea turning turbulent as the state braced for the impact of Cyclone Montha.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the storm is expected to make landfall near Kakinada around midnight on Tuesday.The cyclone, currently over the west-central Bay of Bengal, is likely to strengthen into a “severe cyclonic storm” with wind speeds of 90–100 kmph and gusts up to 110 kmph before crossing the coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam.“The SCS Montha moved north-northwestwards and at 1430 hrs IST of 28th Oct, it lay about 70 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam, 150 km south-southeast of Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh), 250 km south-southwest of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and 480 km south-southwest of Gopalpur (Odisha),” the IMD said in a post on X.Due to bad weather, more than 35 flights between Shamshabad in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh’s Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, and Rajahmundry airports have been cancelled, according to GMR Airports. The cancellations include 30 IndiGo flights, two Air India flights, and five Air India Express flights.Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reviewed the railways’ preparedness for Cyclone Montha, which is expected to affect coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Telangana later on Tuesday. He has directed railway zones to take precautionary measures to ensure safety.The South Central Railway zone has already cancelled 10 trains and rescheduled nine others. Track and bridge patrol teams have been deployed to monitor key infrastructure.Officials said that close coordination is being maintained with the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority for real-time updates and joint emergency responses.Cyclone Montha -- named by Thailand after a fragrant flower -- formed over the Bay of Bengal and intensified into a severe storm early Tuesday morning, the IMD added.The NDRF said the cyclone is “very likely” to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam near Kakinada on Tuesday evening or night, with maximum wind speeds of 90–100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph.