Severe Cyclonic Storm 'Montha' in the west-central Bay of Bengal has intensified and is moving towards land at 15 km/hr. The storm is currently 190 km from Machilipatnam and 270 km from Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh.
'Montha' is expected to make landfall between today evening and night near Kakinada, with a maximum sustained wind speed of 110 km/hr. Heavy rain has already begun across coastal Odisha, including Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts that 'Montha' will mainly affect coastal and southern Odisha, and then pass through Chhattisgarh, potentially lessening the immediate impact on Odisha.
However, heavy to very heavy rainfall is anticipated. The Odisha government is fully prepared, shifting people to cyclone shelters in districts like Ganjam, Gajapati, and Malkangiri, and issuing repeated alerts.