Severe cyclonic storm ‘Montha’ crossed the coast of Andhra Pradesh and Yanam between 28:30 and 00:30 on October 28-29 after making landfall south of Kakinada and near Narsapur, according to the India Meteorological Department.
The IMD said that the rear sector of the storm will move completely inland within one to two hours. At 11:30 pm, the severe cyclonic storm, moving at a speed of 12 kmph for the last six hours, was located about 50 km from Machilipatnam, 90 km from Kakinada, 230 km from Visakhapatnam and 470 km from Gopalpur in Odisha.
Also Read: Cyclone Montha LIVE Update 28 October 2025
Even after landfall, many places in the state may continue to see very heavy rain on Wednesday (October 29). According to IMD and AP State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA), heavy rains are likely to occur in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Parvathipuram Manyam, Alluri Sitharama Raju, Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli, Eluru, Krishna, NTR, Guntur, Bapatla, Palnadu districts. An orange warning was issued for those districts on Wednesday.
Weather map showing the passage of Cyclone Montha into coastal Andhra Pradesh on the night of 28 October 2025 | Photo credit: IMD
Between 11:30 and 17:30, the storm was moving at a speed of 17 km/h and was located about 120 km east of Machilipatnam, 110 km south of Kakinada and 220 km south-southwest of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and 460 km southwest of Gopalpur (Odisha) at 17:00.
The storm, which formed on Tuesday morning (October 28), caused very heavy rainfall in the state till Tuesday evening (October 28), damaging crops in an area of 43,000 hectares. After lashing north coastal Andhra on Monday (October 27), the rain activity has shifted to SPSR Nellore and Prakasam districts of south coastal Andhra. Many places in the two districts received more than 100 mm of rain between 8.30 am and 7 pm.
According to IMD, Ulavapadu in SPSR Nellore district recorded the day’s maximum rainfall of 167 mm, followed by Kavali and Dagadarthi of the same district with 162.75 mm and 147.5 mm respectively. In Prakasam district, Singarayakonda, Pakala and Ongole received 131.5 mm, 122 mm and 100.5 mm respectively.
Kakinada received only light showers till 7 pm. Tirupati Areas, Dr. BR Ambedkar Konaseema, East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, YSR Kadapa, Bapatla received light to heavy showers.
Crops damaged
Two days of heavy to very heavy rains in the state left crops in over 43,000 hectares submerged and affected 83,000 farmers, according to initial estimates by the agriculture department. Paddy and cotton fared the worst. The total estimated loss in the power sector exceeded ₹2,200 crore, with extensive damage to substations, transformers, poles and power lines.
In Visakhapatnam district, which received more than 147 mm of rainfall on Monday (October 27), the municipal corporation cleared 119 fallen trees.
Kakinada district administration kept 401 relief camps ready. At least 35,000 people have been evacuated so far. Church sites are also used as rehabilitation centers.
“The number of people to be evacuated is expected to increase as 67 villages and five towns and Kakinada city in the cyclone-hit area are coming down,” Kakinada District Collector S. Shan Mohan said. Almost 1,600 school buses were deployed to evacuate people.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu ordered NDRF and SDRF teams to be deployed in and around Kakinada. He emphasized the need for preparedness with emergency machinery, communication systems and ground-level coordination.
Trains, flights cancelled
Twenty trains, 10 originating from Visakhapatnam and 11 operated from various divisions of South Central Railway (SCR) in Andhra and one from Bhubaneswar, passing through Visakhapatnam were canceled on Tuesday (October 28) due to heavy rain and gale.
A total of 32 flights from Visakhapatnam were cancelled. The only flight it operated was the nine-seater Vizag-Jeypore flight. Vijayawada-Vizag-Vijayawada IndiGo flight on Wednesday (October 29) has been cancelled. Other flights from Visakhapatnam to various destinations are expected to operate normally on Wednesday (October 29), airport director N. Purushottam said.
Vijayawada airport canceled 16 flights while four flights from Tirupati were canceled on Tuesday (October 28).
Published – 28 October 2025 22:12 IST
