The severe cyclonic storm Montha weakened into a deep depression, triggering light to moderate rain across several parts of Odisha on Wednesday. While the state was spared from severe devastation, the system caused landslides, damaging roads, bridges, and houses in southern districts, officials said.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari expressed gratitude to Lord Jagannath, noting that the severe cyclonic storm slightly shifted its anticipated landfall area on the Andhra Pradesh coast, moving to a distance of approximately 300 kilometers from Odisha’s Malkangiri district.
After reviewing the situation, Pujari informed reporters, “The change in the cyclone’s trajectory spared Odisha from severe devastation. Cyclone Montha changed its course and touched land near Amalapuram instead of Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh, reducing the potential impact on Odisha. Kakinada is about 200 kilometres from Malkangiri.”
The minister stated that the state government had executed extensive preparedness measures based on the IMD forecast and was fully ready to manage the potential disaster.
Questioned about the shift in the expected landfall location, Dr. Manorama Mohanty, director of the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre, stated, “The cyclone’s landfall has occurred within the areas of the cone of uncertainty. There has been no deviation. However, many scientific factors are there for a slight change in the trajectory of the system.”
The ‘cone of uncertainty’ is the projected path and intensity of a storm.
Meanwhile, in a revised forecast, the IMD downgraded its warning, issuing a ‘yellow alert’ (be aware) for five southern Odisha districts—Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Kalahandi, and Nabarangpur—which are now expected to experience heavy rain.
Earlier, the Met Office had issued a much higher ‘red alert’ (take action), forecasting extremely heavy rainfall for the region.
The IMD updated the forecast based on the system’s movement, which has weakened to a deep depression.
“We have issued a ‘yellow’ warning (be aware) of heavy rainfall, very likely to occur at isolated places in Ganjam, Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Gajpati, Kalahandi, and Nawarangpur districts,” said Mohanty.
Mohanty further explained, “We have issued a ‘yellow’ warning of heavy rainfall, very likely to occur at isolated places in Ganjam, Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Gajpati, Kalahandi, and Nawarangpur districts.”
While addressing the media, Pujari made a poignant comparison, recalling the devastating 1999 super cyclone that struck Odisha on the same date, October 29, and resulted in approximately 10,000 fatalities.
“We are encountering a similar cyclone situation on October 29, 2025, but there has been no report of any human casualty so far,” the minister said, adding that the cyclone preparedness measures were made remembering the 1999 super cyclone incident.
Pujari, however, acknowledged that the state has received reports of house collapse, tree falling, landslides, and road damage. He infomed that Cyclone Montha has impacted residents in 33 blocks and 11 urban local bodies across Odisha.
He noted that as part of the state’s proactive evacuation strategy, a total of 2,198 pregnant women were safely relocated to secure areas.
He said the government opened as many as 362 free kitchens where cooked food was provided to 18,762 people, staying at the cyclone centres.
The minister stated that there is no fear from rains as the total precipitation was less than 200 mm. Gosani block in Gajapati district recorded the highest rainfall at around 150 mm, followed by Patrapur in Ganjam at 117.4 mm, while 56 other blocks received rainfall ranging between 50 mm and 100 mm.
Stating that the wind speed was also manageable, the minister highlighted that a few areas in Ganjam, Gajapati, Balasore, and other districts experienced temporary power outages, which were restored within hours thanks to effective pre-planning and preparation. Roads obstructed by fallen trees were also immediately cleared. For rescue and restoration work, a total of 33 ODRAF, 5 NDRF, and 13 Fire Services teams were deployed.
The minister, however, said that Odisha will remain on high alert till October 31 as the rain warning continues.
“Damage assessment of crop, houses, roads, and other public infrastructure will begin from tomorrow,” he said, adding that there are reports of damage to paddy, cotton and vegetable crops.
The affected people will be provided assistance as per the norm directly to their bank accounts. Polythene sheets have been distributed to households whose walls were damaged in the calamity, the minister said.
He said normalcy will be restored across the state by October 31.
Tata Power Southern Odisha Distribution Limited issued a statement reporting that the company successfully restored electricity supply to more than 9.50 lakh consumers out of the 9.88 lakh affected, achieving this restoration within just 18 hours of the cyclone’s peak impact.
