Cyclone Montha Andhra Pradesh: Storm Weakens After Landfall

Cyclone Montha Andhra Pradesh: Severe Cyclonic Storm Montha has been downgraded to a cyclonic storm after landfall in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday evening, October 28, 2025. It brought heavy rains, gusty winds, and extensive disruption. Although it has weakened, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) continues to caution against significant weather. Several areas of Central and North – East India are expected to experience heavy rainfall in the next few days.

Cyclone Montha Weakens, but Rain Hazard Continues

As the IMD notes, Cyclone Montha made landfall near Machilipatnam at around 7 p.m. on the evening of Tuesday, October 28, 2025. It is along the coastline of Andhra Pradesh and Yanam City, a region between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam. Winds of 90 kmph were recorded at the time of landfall. This uprooted trees and downing electricity infrastructure in coastal communities.

By the time of Wednesday’s (2:30 am) update, Montha had weakened to a cyclonic storm. It also continued its north-west trajectory at 10kmph. The centre of the cyclone was situated approximately 20 km west north-west of Narsapur and about 50 km northeast of Machilipatnam. Doppler weather radars in Machilipatnam and Visakhapatnam continuing to monitor.

IMD Issues Orange Alerts in Multiple Districts

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has lifted red alerts across some areas as the cyclone deteriorated. But orange alerts remain in effect for districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli, Krishna, Guntur and Nandyal.

Even as the cyclone deteriorates, areas of heavy rainfall and the possibility of flooding continue to be high across low-lying areas in Andhra Pradesh. Officials have advised people to stay indoors, refrain from any non-official travel. They are also told to stay alert as monitoring teams remain vigilant in their surveillance.

Cyclone Montha’s Impact on Travel and Infrastructure is Significant

Cyclone Montha has caused significant disruption to travel and infrastructure. The state of Andhra Pradesh has imposed a curfew in seven districts limiting any vehicle travel between the hours of 8:30pm and 6am. Only emergency and medical vehicles will be permitted to travel during the evening hours.

Travel by air and rail has also been highly impacted. A total of 32 flights cancelled at Visakhapatnam Airport and 16 flights cancelled at Vijayawada Airport. 4 flights cancelled at Tirupati Airport. At the same time, across the South Central Railway (SCR) zone, a total of 120 trains were cancelled due to flooding and safety concerns.

Power outages have hit multiple coastal regions. Especially Machilipatnam as well as Konaseema. Crews are working rapidly to restore power to lines that have been damaged by fallen trees and other debris. In the village of Makanagudem, Konaseema, a woman was killed when a tree fell during high winds.

Heavy Rain Begins to Spread to Neighboring States

Cyclone Montha has weakened. But the IMD warns parts of Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, West Bengal, and Jharkhand can expect heavy to very heavy rain. Some districts of Odisha remain under red alert. Fishermen have been advised not to go out in the Bay of Bengal until October 29.

In Andhra Pradesh, Nellore, Krishna, and East Godavari have experienced a nearly continuous rain pattern for over the last 36+ hours. Some places recorded more than 7 cm of rainfall in 1 day. The government has suspended leave for all employees until October 30 to respond to the disaster and facilitate recovery efforts.

Assistance Operations Started As Another Weather System Develops

Officials are increasing their preparedness. IMD has identified a second depression in the Arabian Sea. It is expected to produce weather activity in western India. Recovery and restoration effort for those impacted by the cyclone is ongoing. However, the immediate focus is debris clearance, restoring power and support for residents who were displaced.

Cyclone Montha is now weakening; however, heavy rain and thunderstorms across several regions of India are still the concern — illustrating the need for continued readiness and vigilance with respect to changing weather conditions.

While recent news updates have issued that Cyclone Montha is weakening, impacts across India are still posing challenges to residents and officials.

The IMD has now provided warnings that further illustrate the need for vigilance given continued risks for major rainfall and flooding along with weather patterns developing facilitated by secondary weather systems in adjacent seas.