Cyclone Montha makes landfall on Andhra Pradesh coast

A severe cyclonic storm that formed over the Bay of Bengal made landfall on the Andhra Pradesh coast late Tuesday, bringing heavy rains, strong winds and widespread disruption across coastal Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring states. The India Meteorological Department said the system, Cyclone Montha, crossed between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam near Kakinada on the night of October 28 with sustained winds of about 90 to 100 kilometres per hour and gusts up to 110 km/h, before weakening as it moved inland toward Telangana.

The weather agency issued red and orange warnings for large parts of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Tamil Nadu and advised fishermen not to venture into the sea. The storm’s outer bands produced intense rainfall inland, prompting local administrations to evacuate tens of thousands of people, open relief centres and suspend normal services. State and national disaster response teams including NDRF and SDRF units were deployed across coastal and vulnerable districts.

Authorities reported significant damage and disruption. The Andhra Pradesh government said three people had died and 42 livestock perished, and reported damage to standing crops across large tracts....