Cyclone Montha likely to intensify into severe cyclonic storm by Oct 28 morning

The India Meteorological Department on Monday said cyclonic storm Montha is likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by October 28 morning reported news agency PTIThe weather system over the southwest and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal moved northwestwards with a speed of 15 km per hour kmph during the past six hours and lay centred over southwest and adjoining areas of westcentral and southeast Bay of Bengal at 530 am todayIt is likely to continue to move northwestwards over southwest and adjoining westcentral Bay of Bengal during the next 12 hours and then northnorthwestwards and intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by October 28 morning said an official release from the Met Department reported PTIAccording to the Met Department Montha lay over latitude 122 degrees north and 853 degrees east at 530 am today about 620 km south to southeast of Kakinada 650 km south to southeast of Vizag 560 km east to southeast of Chennai 790 km south of Gopalpur Odisha and 810 km west of Port Blair Andaman amp Nicobar IslandsLater the weather system is expected to move further northnorthwestwards to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam around Kakinada during the evening and night of October 28 as a severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of up to 110 kmphMeanwhile the Met Department forecast light thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds with up to a speed of 40 kmph and moderate rainfall at a few places over Anakapalli Kakinada Konaseema Srikakulam Nellore Tirupathi Visakhapatnam Vizianagaram and West Godavari districts in the next three hoursAndhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority APSDMA managing director Prakhar Jain advised people to stay indoorsHe said heavy to very heavy rains are likely today in Kakinada Konaseema West Godavari Krishna Bapatla Prakasam and Nellore districtsLikewise he said heavy rains are likely in Srikakulam Vizianagaram Parvatipuram Manyam Alluri Sitaramaraju Visakhapatnam and Anakapalli districtsJain said similar weather is expected in East Godavari Eluru NTR Guntur Palnadu Chittoor and Tirupati districtsMeanwhile the Odisha government has started evacuating people from vulnerable places and deployed 128 disaster response teams in eight southern districts of the state as the deep depression in the Bay of Bengal on Monday intensified into a cyclonic storm named MonthaKeeping in view the formation of cyclone Montha the state government has started the evacuation of people from vulnerable hilly and lowlying areas of eight southern districts which could be impacted due to the impending calamity Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management minister Suresh Pujari saidWith inputs from PTI