Heavy to very heavy rainfall lashed parts of southern and eastern Rajasthan, with Nainwa in Bundi district recording the highest at 130 mm in the last 24 hours till Tuesday morning.

Udaipur, Kota and nearby districts are expected to receive more heavy rainfall today. Light to moderate rain with thunderstorms is also expected in parts of Ajmer, Jaipur, Bharatpur and Jodhpur divisions, they said.

* The cyclone has moved at a speed of 12 kmph for the past six hours.

* It is currently centered 120 km from Machilipatnam, 200 km from Kakinada, and 290 km from Visakhapatnam.

* cyclone Montha likely to make landfall tonight between Kakinada and Machilipatnam as a severe cyclonic storm.

* Intensity expected to increase as it approaches the coast.

* Heavy to very heavy rainfall likely over coastal districts.

* During landfall, strong winds at 90-110 kmph expected along coastal areas.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reviewed cyclone preparedness, directing railways to take precautionary measures in anticipation of Cyclone Montha's impact on the East Coast, particularly in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Telangana.

Here are the key actions announced:

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has directed all officials of East Coast Railway and South-Central Railway zones to remain on high alert and to take proactive steps for the quick restoration of train services following the impact of severe cyclonic storm 'Montha', which is expected to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam near Kakinada.

The Railway Minister reviewed the measures being undertaken for passenger safety, train regulation, restoration planning, and coordination with local administrations and disaster management agencies.

Uppada beach road in Andhra Pradesh's Kakinada has been completely destroyed by the force winds. Eluru Range Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Ashok Kumar visited the Uppada coastal area and suggested people to be on alert as Cyclone Montha is expected to cross the coast either at midnight today or tomorrow morning.

The severe cyclonic storm Montha over westcentral Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards with a speed of 12 kmph during past 6 hours and lay centered at 8:30 am today. This is about 160 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam (Andhra Pradesh), 240 km south-southeast of Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh), 320 km south-southwest of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and 530 km south-southwest of Gopalpur (Odisha), as per the India Meteorological Department.

The severe cyclonic storm Montha over westcentral Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards with a speed of 12 kmph during past 6 hours and lay centered at 8:30 am today. This is about 160 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam (Andhra Pradesh), 240 km south-southeast of Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh), 320 km south-southwest of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and 530 km south-southwest of Gopalpur (Odisha), as per the India Meteorological Department.

Officials are seen making announcements and asking people to vacate their houses in Kothapatnam village, as a precautionary measure for Cyclone Montha.

Ahead of the landfall that Cyclone Montha is expected to make this evening, NTR district in Andhra Pradesh's Vijayawada is fully prepared upto the village-level to deal with the possible impact. The district administration has also established the central command control room.

"Everywhere, up to village-level response teams are kept on high alert. Today is the second day of Cyclone Montha. We are expecting the highest rainfall in Vijayawada city. So, to drain out the rainfall water, all the canals are kept vacant, and everyone is alert. All the departments, mainly the police, revenue, irrigation department, R&B department and electricity departments, are working in unison. The public is alerted well in advance, and they are all being shifted to the rehabilitation centres..." said Dr G Lakshmisha, Collector of NTR district, while speaking to the news agency ANI.

Warning of severe cyclonic storm Montha has affected 183 trains, including cancellations.

Forty-three trains of East Coast Railway have been cancelled. While five trains have been diverted, eight have been rescheduled, and five other have been short-terminated.

Lifeguards and fire department officials are preventing tourists from bathing in sea amid cyclone Montha alert.

Cyclonic storm Montha over the westcentral Bay of Bengal moved north to northwestwards with a speed of 15 kmph during the past six hours and intensified into a severe cyclonic storm by 5.30 am today, said the India Meteorological Department.

Heavy rain in Odisha's Rayagada as Cyclone Montha is set to make landfall in Andhra Pradesh today impacting several coastal regions.

Following flights of Air India have been cancelled for today due to Cyclone Montha:

The India Meteorological Department has placed Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, and Ranipet districts under an orange alert, warning of heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places and thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds reaching up to 60 kmph in some areas.

As a precautionary measure, the Chennai District Collector has declared a one-day holiday for all government and private schools in the city on Tuesday.

The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has established 215 relief centres across Chennai so far to provide immediate support to residents in low-lying and flood-prone areas. Each relief centre has been equipped with essential amenities such as food, sanitation, and clean drinking water facilities.

A network of 106 central kitchens has been set up to ensure an uninterrupted meal supply. Over four lakh residents from vulnerable areas were provided three meals a day during this period, underscoring the scale of the civic response.

The GCC has readied over 2,000 motor pumps of varying capacities to drain rainwater from inundated zones. To handle emergencies caused by strong winds and falling trees, 457 trained tree surgeons have been deployed.

-IANS

Farms fields in Andhra Pradesh's Machilipatnam start to submerge as cyclone Montha nears landall.

Real-time voice alerts on Cyclone Montha are being broadcast in 26 coastal villages across the state’s coastal districts on a pilot basis.Even in the event of a power outage, the 360 degree horn speaker system can clearly transmit warning messages within a one-kilometre radius, ensuring uninterrupted communication.

In view of the Cyclone Montha, two trains have been cancelled:

The cyclones in the North Indian Ocean region are given names from a predetermined list submitted by countries in the region. The name Montha was suggested by Thailand, one of the 13 member countries that contribute to naming cyclones in the North Indian Ocean region.

Montha means fragrant flower or beautiful flower in the Thai language.

Andhra Pradesh is on high alert for Cyclone Montha, said Nara Lokesh, National General Secretary, Telugu Desam Party (TDP), adding that a 24x7 Real Time Governance Society (RTGS) war-room is coordinating evacuations, rescue and restoration with a "zero-casualty mission". About 40 lakh people in 19 districts are in the vulnerable zone, he said, listing out the steps taken so far:

Due to prevailing cyclone conditions and heavy rainfall expected in and around Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Rajahmundry, flight operations to and from these cities are affected, IndiGO informed and advised passengers to check their flight status before heading to the airport.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu over phone and discussed the latest on Cyclone Montha and its impact. PM Modi assured of assistance to the state.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday reviewed the situation from Real Time Governance Society Centre at State Secretariat. The administration, he said, is "fully prepared" to face any situation.
"I have instructed officials to take preemptive protective measures to prevent loss of life and property due to the cyclone after reviewing the situation. We are continuously providing accurate information to the public to keep them alert," wrote Naidu in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Cyclone Montha is expected to hit Andhra Pradesh as a severe cyclonic storm with a maximum wind speed of 90-100 kmph. After hitting the Andhra coast, Cyclone "Montha" will slow down somewhat and move towards Odisha, Mohapatra told NDTV.

In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of the India Meteorological Department, said, "Andhra Pradesh will be the most affected, followed by Odisha and then Chhattisgarh. Heavy rainfall will continue in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Tamil Nadu between October 28 and 30".