Cyclone Montha has intensified into a severe cyclonic storm in the Bay of Bengal and is expected to make landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coast on Tuesday night, said the India Meteorological Department.

The cyclone will cross the coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam near Kakinada.

This prompted the weather agency to issue a red alert for the coasts of Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry’s Yanam and southern Odisha, The New Indian Express reported. A red alert requires the authorities to “take action” in view of an extreme weather event.

As of 5.30 am, the storm was centred about 190 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam, 270 km south-southeast of Kakinada and 340 km south-southwest of Visakhapatnam, stated the weather agency.

Cyclone Montha is expected to make landfall with sustained wind speeds of 90 kmph to 100 kmph, gusting up to 110 kmph.

The authorities have deployed 11 teams of the National Disaster Response Force and 12 of the State Disaster Response Force in cyclone-prone districts of Andhra Pradesh, The New Indian Express reported.

Nearly 10,000 residents, including 126 pregnant women, have been moved to safer locations in Kakinada and Konaseema regions, The Hindu reported.

Trains and flights disrupted

The cyclone has triggered heavy to very heavy rainfall and strong winds in several coastal districts, The Hindu reported.

Due to this, more than 65 passenger and express trains have been cancelled, diverted or short-terminated in coastal Andhra Pradesh, affecting key routes through Vijayawada, Rajahmundry, Kakinada, Visakhapatnam and Bhimavaram, India Today reported.

The railway authorities have advised passengers to travel only if necessary and to check the train status before departure.

Flight operations have also been hit. All IndiGo and Air India Express flights scheduled for Tuesday at the Visakhapatnam airport were cancelled due to the adverse weather, India Today reported.

On Monday evening, IndiGo asked passengers travelling to and from Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Rajahmundry to check their flight status before heading to the airport.

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