Cyclone Montha Oct 26 updates: Red, orange alerts for 23 Andhra Pradesh districts for October 27 as cyclone looms

AMRAVATI : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu put the entire administrative machinery on high alert on Sunday (October 26, 2025) as the India Meteorological Department issued red and orange alerts for 23 of the State’s 26 districts for Monday (October 27) in view of cyclonic storm ‘Montha’.

The IMD said that the deep depression over southeast Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm by Monday (October 27) morning. Thereafter, it was likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by Tuesday (October 28) morning and was very likely to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam around Kakinada in the evening or night. While crossing, the severe cyclonic storm could have a maximum wind speed of 90-100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph, it said.

As of 5:30 p.m. on Sunday (October 26), the deep depression lay centred over southeast and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal, about 720 km east-southeast of Chennai, 780 km southeast of Kakinada, 790 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam and 900 km south-southeast of Gopalpur in Odisha.

The IMD has warned that the sea condition may be ‘very rough’ along and off the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts on Monday (October 27). It would further worsen, becoming ‘very rough’ to ‘high’ on Tuesday (October 28). According to the A.P. State Disaster Management Authority, nine State Disaster Response Force teams and seven National Disaster Response Force teams have been formed.

‘Montha’ is the third severe cyclonic storm after ‘Asani’ in 2022 and ‘Michaung’ in 2023 to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast.