Cyclone Montha, which made landfall late Tuesday evening between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, has now weakened from a “severe cyclonic storm” to a cyclonic storm, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Despite the downgrade, the storm has left a trail of destruction across coastal Andhra Pradesh and parts of Odisha and Telangana.
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The cyclone, which brought wind speeds of up to 110 kmph, claimed one life and injured two others in separate incidents. In Konaseema district, an elderly woman died after a tree collapsed on her house. Elsewhere, a young boy and an auto driver sustained injuries when coconut trees were uprooted by strong winds.
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The storm began making landfall around 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, crossing the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts, south of Kakinada. IMD reported its center was located 50 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam at the time.
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Montha’s wind speeds ranged between 90–100 kmph, gusting up to 110 kmph. The IMD has warned of extremely heavy rainfall in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Telangana.
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South Central Railway CPRO informed due to prevailing cyclonic conditions, Indian Railways has cancelled 122 trains, while a few others have been regulated, rescheduled, or diverted. In total, around 160 trains were affected.
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Most of these trains operated between the Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada sections.
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A total of 37 flights were cancelled across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, including 30 operated by IndiGo, 2 by Air India, and 5 by Air India Express.
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Schools in Andhra’s NTR and Bapatla districts were closed due to adverse weather. In Odisha’s Gajapati district, all schools, colleges, and anganwadi centres will remain shut until October 30.
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Standing crops within an area of 38,000 hectares and horticulture crops spread over 1.38 lakh hectares were destroyed in Andhra Pradesh due to the impact of the severe cyclonic storm ‘Montha’, the CMO said.
“Due to the impact of the cyclone, heavy rains across the state destroyed standing crops in 38,000 hectares and horticulture crops in 1.38 lakh hectares,” said a press release from the chief minister’s office, citing preliminary estimates
