Cyclone Montha intensified from a depression over the southeastern Bay of Bengal into a severe cyclonic storm. The India Meteorological Department classified the system as a severe cyclonic storm and tracked it as it moved toward the Andhra Pradesh coast. For exam preparation, the issue links weather science, disaster management and the physical geography of India’s eastern coast. Cyclones forming over the Bay of Bengal help aspirants understand questions on warnings, evacuation, relief administration and coastal vulnerability in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and nearby regions. This update is relevant to prelims preparation across multiple exams, including RAS and UPSC.
The core fact in Montha’s case was its expected landfall corridor on the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, to the south of Kakinada. In its National Bulletin dated October 28, 2025, the IMD located the system over the west-central Bay of Bengal, close to the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts, and stated that it was likely to cross the coast during the next 2 hours as a severe cyclonic storm with maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph.
For static GK linkage, aspirants should revise tropical cyclones, low-pressure systems, depressions, cyclone categories, Doppler Weather Radar, coastal disaster management and the cyclone-prone nature of the Bay of Bengal. In prelims, the likely focus is on place, category, agency and affected coastal state. In mains, the same event can support short analytical answers on early-warning systems, safety of coastal populations, climate risk and disaster preparedness.