Cyclone Montha in India

Cyclone Montha struck India’s east coast, making landfall between Machilipatnam and Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh as a severe cyclonic storm with sustained winds of around 90–100 km/h and gusts reaching 110 km/h. The system developed rapidly over the west-central Bay of Bengal from a deep depression and was named “Montha,” meaning “beautiful flower,” by Thailand.

The cyclone affected coastal Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and parts of Telangana and Chhattisgarh, where red and orange alerts were issued due to forecasts of heavy to very heavy rainfall exceeding 20 centimetres in some areas.

Authorities carried out large-scale evacuations of tens of thousands of residents from low-lying coastal regions and established relief camps to provide emergency assistance. Although the storm weakened after landfall, it brought widespread rainfall and localized flooding to inland districts, with ongoing risks of landslides and disruptions to transport and power infrastructure.