The IMD forecast places the system 90 km southeast of Kakinada and 170 km southwest of Visakhapatnam as it drifts west‑northwest at 18 km/h, tightening its path toward the Bapatla‑Visakhapatnam corridor.
The cyclone is classified as very severe, with sustained winds of 125‑135 km/h and gusts up to 150 km/h, a speed that could shatter 20‑meter‑high walls and topple rooftop shingles along the coastline.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, IT Minister Nara Lokesh and Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha are coordinating at the state headquarters, directing the deployment of 12 National Disaster Response Force squads and 10 State Disaster Response Force units across 14 districts.
In the wake of the alert, 2,131 cyclone shelters have been activated in 20 districts, while text alerts have reached 2.70 crore mobile phones in 18 districts. A family in Kakinada, already in a shelter, says they hope the government’s rapid response will protect them from the impending gale.
Authorities expect the storm to cross the coast within the next hour; rescue teams will begin operations immediately afterward, with a focus on the hardest-hit villages along the eastern seaboard.