Cyclone Montha leaves 2 dead, floods Andhra, triggers rain warnings across 14 Indian states

• by Caspian Harrington
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Two people died as Cyclonic Storm Montha slammed into coastal Andhra Pradesh on 28th October 2025, unleashing torrential rain, storm surges, and gale-force winds that uprooted trees, drowned roads, and wiped out entire crop fields. By 0830 hours IST the next day, the storm had weakened to a Deep Depression, but its remnants continued to lash a sprawling stretch of India—from Telangana to West Bengal, and from Gujarat to Kerala. The India Meteorological Department (IMD), under Secretary M. Ravichandran, warned that isolated areas received over 21 centimeters of rain in 24 hours. And the worst? It’s not over yet.

When the Sea Rose: Storm Surge and Coastal Devastation

On the morning of 28th October, as Cyclonic Storm Montha made landfall near the Andhra coast, the IMD had already issued a storm surge warning: a wall of seawater, one meter above normal tide levels, was coming. It hit. In districts like Visakhapatnam and East Godavari, low-lying neighborhoods vanished under brackish water. Fishing boats were tossed onto streets. Saltwater seeped into wells, ruining drinking supplies for weeks. One woman, trapped in her home near Kakinada, was rescued after six hours—her legs swollen from standing in rising water. The two fatalities? Both drowned in floodwaters while trying to reach higher ground. No one saw it coming fast enough.

From Storm to Depression: The Slow-Motion Disaster

What made Montha so destructive wasn’t just its peak wind speeds of 65 kmph. It was how long it lingered. After landfall, the system didn’t vanish. It stalled, then crawled northward, dragging clouds heavy with moisture across central and eastern India. By 29th October, it was a well-marked low-pressure area over south Chhattisgarh. But the rain kept falling. In Telangana, roads turned into rivers. In Rayalaseema, farmers lost nearly 70% of their groundnut and cotton crops—some fields buried under mud. The IMD recorded “extremely heavy rainfall” in 14 regions over four days. That’s not a typo. Fourteen. Places as far apart as Saurashtra and Darjeeling got drenched.

Who’s Still in the Line of Fire?

The danger isn’t behind us. On 31st October, the IMD warned of 7–20 cm of rain in Darjeeling and Kalimpong. Landslides are already reported on the Hill Cart Road. In Bihar, villages near the Ganges are bracing for backflow flooding as swollen rivers meet new rainfall. Even Gujarat—far from the cyclone’s origin—is seeing “rough to very rough” seas, disrupting coastal shipping. The IMD’s forecast is chilling: “Light to moderate rain with isolated heavy showers” will persist until 1st November. That’s six full days of relentless downpour across half the country.

The Human Cost Beyond the Headlines

In Nellore, a school was converted into a relief center. Over 300 families are sleeping on floors, their homes flooded. “We lost everything,” said Suresh Reddy, a farmer whose 12-acre plot is now a swamp. “No seeds left. No tractor working. And the government? They’re sending rice. But what good is rice when your land is dead?”

Meanwhile, in Hyderabad, the city’s drainage system—designed for 50 mm/hour rain—collapsed under 120 mm in six hours. Traffic jams stretched for 15 kilometers. Ambulances couldn’t reach patients. Hospitals ran on generators. “We’ve had floods before,” said Dr. Anjali Mehta, a public health official. “But never this many systems failing at once. It’s not just weather. It’s infrastructure failure.”

Why This Storm Was Different

Montha wasn’t the strongest cyclone in recent memory. But it was the most *persistent*. Unlike 2023’s Cyclone Biparjoy, which burned out quickly over Rajasthan, Montha dragged its feet—literally. It moved at just 8 km/hour after landfall. That slow pace meant rain dumped over the same patches for hours. Climate scientists at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology note that such stalled systems are becoming more common. “Warmer Bay of Bengal waters are fueling more moisture,” said Dr. Rajiv Nair. “And weaker steering winds? That’s climate change slowing storms down. Result? More rain, more damage.”

What Comes Next?

The IMD says Montha will weaken further as it moves into east Madhya Pradesh by 2nd November. But its legacy lingers. Crop losses in Andhra and Telangana could exceed ₹2,300 crore. Power lines are still down in 11 districts. Waterborne diseases are already rising. Relief efforts are scrambling. The National Disaster Response Force has deployed 42 teams—but they’re stretched thin across 14 states.

The government has announced compensation of ₹2 lakh per deceased and ₹50,000 for damaged homes. But farmers say it won’t cover the cost of new seeds, pumps, or fences. “We need a crop insurance overhaul,” said S. Venkatesh, president of the Andhra Farmers’ Union. “Not handouts. Systems.”

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