The deep depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal has intensified into Cyclone Montha and is moving northwestwards at a speed of 15 kmph, the India Meteorological Department said on Monday.
As of 5.30 am, the cyclone system was centred about 560 km east-southeast of Chennai, 620 km south-southeast of Kakinada and 650 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam.
The cyclone is expected to strengthen further into a severe cyclonic storm and make landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coast near Kakinada, between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam on Tuesday night. It is expected to bring winds of 90 to 100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph, along with heavy to very heavy rainfall across coastal Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring states.
In view of this, red alerts have been issued for several Andhra Pradesh districts, including Kakinada, Konaseema, West Godavari, Krishna, Bapatla, Prakasam and Nellore, PTI reported.
The weather department has advised fisherfolk not to venture into the sea for the next five days and urged those already out in the Bay of Bengal to return at the earliest.
Rough sea conditions are expected along the Andhra, Odisha and Bengal coasts between Tuesday and Thursday.
District collectors in Odisha have been instructed to evacuate residents from low-lying and flood-prone areas, state Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari told PTI.
He added that even though the cyclone is set to make landfall near Kakinada, 15 districts in Odisha, especially eight in the southern region, are expected to receive very heavy rainfall and strong winds.
Ahead of Cyclone Montha’s landfall, nine teams of the State Disaster Response Force in Andhra Pradesh and seven teams of the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed across coastal districts for rescue and relief operations, The News Minute reported.
The government has also allowed district collectors to draw Rs 19 crore from contingency funds for immediate emergency work, including evacuations, food and water supply, health services and road repairs.
In Kakinada and Konaseema, local administrations have begun evacuations from vulnerable coastal villages. Schools in these districts will remain closed from Monday to Friday, The Times of India reported.
In Visakhapatnam, residents have stocked up on essentials like diesel, water, candles and batteries as Cyclone Montha approaches. In Vijayawada and Guntur, panic buying on Sunday led to shortages of milk and vegetables, with traders reportedly hiking prices, The Times of India reported.
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