Indian authorities have shut schools and evacuated tens of thousands of people as Cyclone Montha approaches the eastern coast. The storm is intensifying over the Bay of Bengal and is expected to make landfall near Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh. On Tuesday, it hovered about 160 kilometers southeast of Machilipatnam. The weather office has issued red alerts for 19 districts, forecasting extremely heavy rains. Disaster teams have evacuated 38,000 people, with 4 million estimated to be in vulnerable zones. Schools are closed until Wednesday, and transportation services are disrupted. Climate scientists say severe storms are becoming more frequent due to global warming.
