In 2025, on one hand, Cyclone Montha is active in the Bay of Bengal, while on the other hand, Hurricane Melissa is also active in the Atlantic Ocean. Both are powerful ocean storms, which are creating destructive conditions like strong winds, torrential rains and possible floods. When a storm of wind rises over an ocean and starts tearing the sky with its speed, the question arises that what is its strength? This is not just a matter of fear or guesswork, but its strength is determined scientifically.

Every storm has its own ‘class’, which tells whether it is going to bring light rain or submerge the entire city. Let us know how the strength of a storm is estimated.

How to measure the strength of a storm

Scientists around the world use two major scales to measure the strength of hurricanes, the first is the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which is mainly applicable to the Americas, the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean. The second is the V-scale, which has been adopted in India, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea areas.

What is the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale?

This scale ranges from 1 to 5 depending on the maximum sustained wind speed of any storm. In Category 1, the wind speed is around 119 to 153 kilometers per hour, it can cause minor damage. In Category 2, winds reach 154 to 177 km/hour. In this, roofs can blow away, trees can break. From Category 3 (178–208 km/h) the damage becomes serious. Category 4 (209–251 km/h) and Category 5 (above 252 km/h) are the levels where everything turns into disaster. This scale not only gives an idea of ​​the speed of the wind but also its impact i.e. possible property damage.

Varicel used in India

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) uses the varicella scale to measure the strength of storms. This scale is also divided into five categories – from V1 to V5. V1 represents the mildest storm, while V5 is the most dangerous. Storms in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea are measured on this scale. The idea behind this is that the marine conditions and climate in these areas are different from those of the western oceans, so a different parameter was necessary to suit local conditions.

How are data collected

Scientists estimate the center of the storm and its wind speed with the help of satellite images, weather buoys and aerial surveys. The data received from radar shows the direction and speed at which the winds are moving. This data decides in which category the storm will be placed.

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The Union Health Ministry has reviewed the preparations regarding Cyclonic Storm Montha and has given full assurance of necessary assistance to the coastal states. Due to Montha, life was affected in 15 districts of Andhra Pradesh. Due to this storm, 3 people died and 2 people were injured. According to the Meteorological Department, the storm is weakening, but the government has issued an alert in the affected areas.

Odisha Meteorological Department (IMD) Director Manorama Mohanty said that after the arrival of Montha, there has been heavy rain at 25 places in Odisha. Gajapati district recorded the highest rainfall of 150.5 mm and heavy rainfall is expected at some places in the next 24 hours. He further said that there is a possibility of rain across the state, along with thunder, lightning and strong winds.

What did Odisha CM tell?
Odisha CM Mohan Majhi said that there is no threat to Odisha. Teams are prepared for every situation. So far we have evacuated more than 11,000 people to safe places. Odisha Women and Child Development Minister Pravati Parida said that more than 2,000 pregnant women have been safely sheltered in maternity homes across the state during the cyclone.

Schools closed in 6 districts of Telangana
According to news agency ANI, due to cyclone Montha, red alert has been issued by closing schools in 6 districts of Telangana. Due to Cyclone Montha, heavy rain is expected at some places in the next 24 hours. There is also a possibility of lightning and strong winds. Due to Montha, Telangana recorded 15.4 mm rainfall on Wednesday. According to the Telangana government, the highest rainfall was recorded in Warangal district (77.8 mm).

Impact of Montha in UP
According to the Meteorological Department, due to the storm Montha, an alert of heavy rain has been issued in Purvanchal on 30-31 October. A warning of torrential rain has been issued in Varanasi-Mirzapur division and there is a possibility of wind accompanied by thunder in 31 districts. Gusty wind will blow at a speed of 30-40 km per hour. People have been appealed to be alert and cautious.

impact in jharkhand
The effect of cyclonic storm Montha is also visible in Jharkhand. Due to the storm, it started raining in many districts of Jharkhand including Ranchi on Tuesday. The Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert of heavy rain at isolated places in 19 districts including Ranchi till Friday. Here, Disaster Management Minister Dr. Irfan Ansari has also instructed the DCs of all the districts to be cautious and complete the necessary preparations.

The Meteorological Department has released the latest report regarding Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal. Due to weakening of Montha, the effect of rain continues in the area. Light rain was recorded in many parts of Tamil Nadu at night, but there was no rain in Puducherry and Karaikal.

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Cyclone ‘Montha’ made landfall in coastal parts of Andhra Pradesh and Yanam on Tuesday (October 28, 2025). Its center was between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam. Initially, the wind speed of the storm reached 100 to 110 kilometers per hour, due to which trees were uprooted in many coastal areas and power supply was disrupted.

How long did the landfall last?
The process of landfall continued from 7:30 pm to around 1 am, i.e. for about 5 hours 30 minutes. Although the speed of ‘Montha’ slowed down slightly after hitting the coast, its effect is being seen in many parts of the country. Alert of heavy rain and strong winds has been issued in many states. The Meteorological Department has appealed to the people to be cautious and not to go near the beaches.

Two people died in Andhra Pradesh due to Cyclone Montha
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said that two people have died in the state due to the severe cyclonic storm ‘Montha’. He said that precautionary measures helped in reducing the damage. The Chief Minister called upon the entire government machinery to continue its efforts for the next two days to provide more relief to the cyclone affected people.

Instructions to restore normalcy as soon as possible
Naidu said in one, ‘If we work like this for the next two days, we can provide a lot of relief to the people. Two people have died due to the cyclone. The Chief Minister directed the officials to restore normalcy as soon as possible and asked the ministers and officials to visit the affected places and ask the people if they were facing any kind of problem. He directed the officials to assess the damage caused by the cyclone so that it can be handed over to the Central Government.

Effect visible in Telangana too, torrential rain in many districts
The effect of cyclonic storm Montha was also seen in Telangana. There was torrential rain in different districts. This storm passed the coast of neighboring Andhra Pradesh last night. In Telangana, heavy rains were recorded in many districts including Warangal, Mahabubabad, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Jangaon, Suryapet, Nalgonda, Nagarkurnool and Siddhipet. There was heavy rain in Hyderabad also. State Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy held a meeting with senior officials to review the impact of Cyclone Montha.

Red alert issued in the state
According to Telangana Development Planning Society, Redalwada in Warangal district recorded 183.3 mm rainfall and Kalleda recorded 159 mm rainfall between 8.30 am and 2 pm. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a ‘red alert’ for Mahabubabad, Warangal and Hanumkonda districts from 1 pm on Wednesday to 8.30 am on October 30. The Meteorological Department has warned that heavy to very heavy rainfall along with lightning and strong winds at a speed of 40 to 50 kilometers per hour are expected at some places in these districts.

Possibility of heavy rain in many districts of West Bengal
Due to cyclone ‘Montha’, there is a possibility of heavy rain in many districts of West Bengal till Friday. The IMD said that as the cyclone moves in a north-northwest direction and the pressure area weakens, light to moderate rain is likely over parts of South Bengal. The weather office said there is a strong possibility of heavy rain (7 to 11 cm) in parts of South 24 Parganas, East and West Medinipur, Jhargram on Wednesday and till Friday in Birbhum, Murshidabad, East Bardhaman and Purulia districts. The department said heavy to very heavy rain in parts of North Bengal districts – Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and Alipurduar on Friday. There is a strong possibility of (7 to 20 cm).

How was the impact of Montha in Odisha?
Light to moderate rain was recorded in the coastal region of Odisha with winds speed of 30 km per hour to 40 km per hour. These areas include districts like Khurda, Cuttack, Puri, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur. Maximum rainfall of 105 mm has been recorded in Mayurbhanj district, followed by 93.5 mm in Balasore, 90 mm in Khurda and 74.4 mm in Chandbali.

After the landfall, the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Center has withdrawn its ‘Red’ and ‘Orange’ alerts for the southern Odisha region and issued a new weather forecast. Dr Manorama Mohanty, Director of Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre, said, ‘We have issued a ‘yellow’ alert for very heavy rain at isolated places in Ganjam, Sundergarh, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Gajapati, Kalahandi and Navrangpur districts.

Many trains canceled due to cyclone ‘Montha’
Due to Cyclone Montha, many trains have been canceled on 29th and 30th October. Trains canceled on October 30 include – Kirandul-Visakhapatnam Passenger (58502), Koraput-Visakhapatnam Passenger (5837), Shalimar-Cherlapalli East Coast Express (18045) and Howrah-Secunderabad Falaknuma Express (12703). At the same time, on October 29, Secunderabad-Vishakhapatnam Duronto (22204) train was also cancelled. Railways has requested the passengers to check the status of the train before travelling.

Air services also affected, two flights cancelled.
Due to the cyclone, two morning flights from Visakhapatnam airport were canceled on 29 October. These include Air India Express flight IX 2885/2745 (Hyderabad-Vishakhapatnam-Hyderabad), which was canceled due to strong tail wind exceeding the flight limit. Apart from this, Indigo flight 6E 7128/29 (Vijayawada-Vishakhapatnam-Vijayawada) was also canceled due to bad weather.

Effect of Montha will be visible in Uttar Pradesh also
The effect of Storm Montha is expected to be visible in Uttar Pradesh for the next two days. The Meteorological Department has warned of heavy rain in Varanasi and Mirzapur divisions as well as Purvanchal during October 30 and 31. Besides, an alert has also been issued for winds blowing at a speed of 30 to 40 km per hour along with thunderstorms in 31 districts of the state.

(with language inputs)

Cyclone Montha, formed in the Bay of Bengal, is rapidly becoming stronger and according to the Meteorological Department, it can turn into a severe cyclonic storm by the morning of 28 October. There is a possibility of it hitting the coast near Kakinada. An alert has been issued in Andhra Pradesh, while warnings of strong winds and heavy rain have also been issued in Odisha, Telangana and Chennai.

The weather system over the south-west and adjacent south-east Bay of Bengal moved north-westwards at a speed of 15 km per hour during the last six hours and lay centered over the south-west and adjacent west-central and south-east areas of the Bay of Bengal at 5.30 am on Monday (October 27, 2025). The Meteorological Department has said that ‘during the next 12 hours, it is likely to move north-westwards over the south-west and adjacent west-central Bay of Bengal and after that it will move north-northwestwards and turn into a severe cyclonic storm by the morning of 28 October.’

Forecast of rain with strong winds in these areas
Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department has predicted light thunderstorms and moderate rainfall at some places in Anakapalle, Kakinada, Konaseema, Srikakulam, Nellore, Tirupati, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and West Godavari districts in the next three hours with strong winds reaching up to 40 km per hour.

People advised to stay at home
Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) Managing Director Prakhar Jain advised people to stay indoors. He said that there is a possibility of heavy to very heavy rain in Kakinada, Konaseema, West Godavari, Krishna, Bapatla, Prakasam and Nellore districts on Monday. Similarly, he said that there is a possibility of heavy rain in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Parvathipuram Manyam, Alluri Sitamaraju, Visakhapatnam and Anakapalle districts. Jain said similar weather is expected in East Godavari, Eluru, NTR, Guntur, Palanadu, Chittoor and Tirupati districts.

Heavy rain forecast in West Bengal also
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that there may be heavy rain in many districts of West Bengal from Tuesday to Friday. Very heavy rainfall is likely over Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Jalpaiguri, while areas of South Bengal may receive moderate to heavy rainfall.

Warning for fishermen and coastal areas
In view of the high waves and strong winds in the sea, fishermen have been advised not to go into the sea till Thursday. Also, the administration has kept rescue teams ready due to the possibility of waterlogging and landslides in low-lying areas.