Andhra Pradesh Environment, Cyclones and Disaster Management: Notes for APPSC, AP Police and State Exams

Cyclones, floods and drought are not side topics for Andhra Pradesh. The state has a long coast on the Bay of Bengal, two great delta rivers, and a dry interior that is regularly short of rain, so questions on disasters appear in APPSC general studies papers, AP Police prelims, Group 4 and Sachivalayam-type exams, and in the environment sections of many other tests. The questions fall into four families: a named cyclone and where it crossed the coast; a flood record on the Godavari or the Krishna; the legal structure of disaster management; and the warning chain from the weather department to the village. This post covers all four from official material, with the cautions that each needs.

The post does not repeat the river and coastline notes already published. For the geography of the coast, deltas and rivers, read the AP geography notes on rivers, districts and ports; for the dams and projects that control floods, see the rivers, dams and irrigation projects notes; for the industrial and port belt that creates its own hazards, see the minerals, industries, SEZs and ports notes. The companion post on forests, wildlife and national parks covers mangroves and wetlands, which also work as storm buffers.

Verify before the exam: casualty counts, flood peaks and shelter numbers differ between sources and change with later revision. Where this post gives a figure it names the kind of source. Prefer the figure and wording in the source your question paper follows.

1. The coast and why it is vulnerable

Andhra Pradesh is commonly described as having the longest coastline of any state on the east coast. The ports-ministry update quoted in the geography sibling post gives 1,053.07 km, while older books say about 974 km; use the figure the question follows. The coast faces the Bay of Bengal, which is the more active of the two northern Indian Ocean basins. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) states in its published frequently asked questions that cyclones in the north Indian Ocean number about five a year on average, that the Bay of Bengal produces them roughly four times as often as the Arabian Sea, and that the monthly frequency has a main peak in November and a smaller peak in May. Severe intensity is typical of May to June and October to November, while storms of the monsoon months are usually weaker.

The same IMD document says that among the coastal states the frequency of severe cyclonic storms is highest for Andhra Pradesh, while the frequency of cyclones of all strengths is highest for Odisha. This is a well-worn question, and the pairing is easy to memorise: severe storms for Andhra Pradesh, all cyclones for Odisha, Gujarat as the most vulnerable western state.

The IMD also zones the Indian coast by storm surge. The stretch of Andhra coast between Bapatla and Kakinada, which holds the estuaries of the Krishna and the Godavari, is placed in the very high risk zone with expected surges of about 5 to 7 metres. A very high risk zone is one with a surge above 5 metres. Other zones are high (3 to 5 m), moderate (1.5 to 3 m) and minimal (below 1.5 m). The delta region is where the cyclone problem and the flood problem meet, because a surge pushing in from the sea can slow the drainage of a river in flood.

Three physical features explain the pattern. The coast is flat and low-lying, so a surge can travel far inland. The estuaries and distributaries are shallow, which funnels water into channels. And the population density along the delta is high, with fishing hamlets sitting close to the shoreline. Hazard is the cyclone; vulnerability is the settlement pattern, house type and drainage; risk is the product. A question that asks for "the main reason for loss of life in cyclones" usually has the storm surge as its correct option, which the IMD document calls by far the greatest killer.

2. How cyclones are classified and named

IMD classifies cyclonic disturbances by the maximum sustained wind around the centre, using a three-minute average at a standard height of 10 metres. The categories, in the form given in a recent IMD bulletin, are these.

Category	Wind speed (kmph)	Wind speed (knots)
Depression	31 to 49	17 to 27
Deep depression	50 to 61	28 to 33
Cyclonic storm	62 to 87	34 to 47
Severe cyclonic storm	88 to 117	48 to 63
Very severe cyclonic storm	118 to 166	64 to 89
Extremely severe cyclonic storm	167 to 221	90 to 119
Super cyclonic storm	222 and above	120 and above

Some IMD documents print the lower limits of the cyclonic storm and severe cyclonic storm classes as 88 and 89 kmph; small differences come from rounding of knots to kilometres, so read the table given with the question. The names ascend in strength, and a storm that crosses the coast is described by the category at that moment, which can be lower than its peak. For example, a deep depression is not a cyclone, and a storm that began as one may be reported as a "cyclone" in the press even if the weather department never upgraded it.

Naming. Tropical cyclones in the north Indian Ocean have been named since October 2004. The names come from lists contributed by the member countries of the WMO and ESCAP panel on tropical cyclones, and the IMD publishes the pronunciation. The list was extended in April 2020 with new names. The country that proposed the name is not the country that is hit. Names relevant to Andhra Pradesh in the recent past are Hudhud (proposed by Oman), Titli (Pakistan), Phethai (Thailand), Michaung (Myanmar) and Montha (Thailand). Nivar was proposed by Iran, Asani by Sri Lanka, Jawad by Saudi Arabia and Mocha by Yemen. A common trap is to say that a name was given by India; none of the storms in this table carries a name proposed by India.

3. Major cyclones that affected Andhra Pradesh

The table lists storms that questions commonly use, with the landfall detail from IMD documents where one could be opened and from reported summaries otherwise. Landfall is described by place, but a storm crosses a stretch of coast over several hours, so questions often accept "near" or "between".

Year	Name	Where it crossed	Notes
19 Nov 1977	No name (Diviseema cyclone)	Near Chirala (IMD list)	Estimated winds about 260 kmph; storm surge hit the Krishna delta
9 Nov 1989	No name	Near Kavali	Estimated winds about 235 kmph
9 May 1990	No name	Near Machilipatnam	Estimated winds about 235 kmph
6 Nov 1996	No name	South of Kakinada	Severe damage in Konaseema
20 May 2010	Laila	Near Bapatla	Heavy rain; reported 65 deaths
12 Oct 2014	Hudhud	Near Visakhapatnam	Reported at extreme severity
11 Oct 2018	Titli	Near Palasa, close to Gopalpur (Odisha)	Affected Srikakulam district
17 Dec 2018	Phethai	Near Katrenikona, East Godavari	About 80 kmph at landfall
5 Dec 2023	Michaung	Close to Bapatla	Severe cyclonic storm
28 to 29 Oct 2025	Montha	Between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, near Kakinada	Severe cyclonic storm

The 1977, 1989 and 1990 rows come from an IMD table of very intense cyclones that reached the Bay of Bengal coasts since 1970, with wind speeds estimated from satellite imagery. The list is useful because it shows that three of the very intense landfalls within that table came ashore on the Andhra coast, in 1977, 1989 and 1990.

The 1977 cyclone. The IMD lists the landfall place as Chirala on 19 November 1977. In popular accounts this is the Diviseema cyclone, after the delta island in Krishna district that suffered a surge of several metres. Death-toll figures vary widely in reference summaries, with an official count of at least 10,000 reported and estimates reaching several times that, so a question should not rest on a single number. What is firm is the date and the delta damage.

The 1996 cyclone. The reference summary says it crossed the coast south of Kakinada on 6 November 1996 and hit the Konaseema region of the East Godavari area. The number of deaths is given as over a thousand. Because the storm is often called the Konaseema cyclone, remember that Konaseema is now a separate district named Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Konaseema.

Hudhud, 2014. The name was supplied by Oman. Reports describe landfall near Visakhapatnam around midday on 12 October 2014 at very high intensity, with the city's airport, power lines and trees badly damaged. This is the standard example of a major storm that struck a large city rather than a delta village.

Titli and Phethai, 2018. Titli of October 2018 crossed the north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coast near Palasa in Srikakulam district, south-west of Gopalpur, in the early morning of 11 October, with wind speeds of 140 to 150 kmph reported at landfall. Phethai of December 2018 weakened before landfall and crossed near Katrenikona in East Godavari district on 17 December with winds of about 80 kmph; about 20,000 people were moved to relief camps in press reports.

Michaung, 2023. The IMD bulletin issued at 1330 hours on 5 December 2023 placed the severe cyclonic storm over the west-central Bay of Bengal along and off the south Andhra Pradesh coast, near 15.55 degrees north and 80.25 degrees east, about 20 km east-northeast of Ongole and 45 km south-west of Bapatla, with winds of 90 to 100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph. It forecast crossing close to Bapatla within two hours. The bulletin records rainfall over the previous 24 hours of 222 mm at Bapatla and 218.1 mm at Nellore, with Machilipatnam at 157 mm. The storm was named by Myanmar and the name is pronounced Migjaum.

Montha, 2025. The IMD national bulletin issued at 2250 hours on 28 October 2025 described the severe cyclonic storm as lying close to the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts, about 90 km south-south-west of Kakinada, and said it would cross between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, to the south of Kakinada, as a severe cyclonic storm with winds of 90 to 100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph. Press reports place the landfall around midnight of 28 to 29 October. Montha was proposed by Thailand. This is the most recent landfall that could be verified as on October 2026.

A recent depression. Press reports of September 2026 describe a deep depression, nicknamed a cyclone in some outlets, that crossed the north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coast near Kalingapatnam on the night of 23 to 24 September 2026. These reports state that the IMD did not classify it as a cyclonic storm. If a question uses the word cyclone for it, check the category given by IMD.

4. Why the category at landfall matters

A cyclone question often hides a trap in the category. Michaung and Montha were severe cyclonic storms at landfall, which is the category from 88 to 117 kmph. Phethai was reported at landfall as a cyclonic storm after weakening. Titli was a very severe cyclonic storm. For revision, tie the storm to a place and an intensity rather than a name alone.

The IMD gives a damage guide by category. For a severe cyclonic storm the document lists a storm surge of up to 1.5 metres, inundation up to 5 km in specific areas, damage to coastal crops and the advice that fishermen should not venture into the sea. For a very severe storm, the surge is up to 2 metres, inundation up to 10 km, and evacuation from coastal areas is to be mobilised. For an extremely severe storm the surge is 2 to 5 metres with inundation up to 10 to 15 km. For a super cyclonic storm the surge is more than 5 metres and inundation may reach 40 km. Understand this ladder as a general guide: the same wind speed can produce a smaller or larger surge depending on coastline shape, tide and the angle of approach.

Winds are stronger in the right semicircle of a cyclone in the northern hemisphere, relative to its direction of motion, which is why a place on the right of the track suffers more. The storm surge is also usually highest near the radius of maximum wind and at the right front sector. If a storm hits at high tide, the total water level is the sum of surge and tide, which the IMD illustrates with the example of a 6 metre surge on a 2 metre tide.

5. The warning chain: IMD, INCOIS and the district

India's cyclone warning organisation has three tiers. The Cyclone Warning Division at the IMD headquarters coordinates the work, and area cyclone warning centres at Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata and cyclone warning centres at Visakhapatnam, Ahmedabad and Bhubaneswar issue regional warnings. For Andhra Pradesh the local centre is the Visakhapatnam cyclone warning centre; the area cyclone warning centre for the southern part of the east coast is at Chennai. The bulletin for Montha says the system was tracked by Doppler weather radars at Machilipatnam and Visakhapatnam in addition to coastal observatories, automatic weather stations, ships, buoys and satellites.

Since the 1999 pre-monsoon season, the IMD uses a four-stage warning system.

1. Pre-cyclone watch: issued when a depression forms over the Bay of Bengal and may affect the coast, at least 72 hours before bad weather.
2. Cyclone alert: issued at least 48 hours before the bad weather, when the cyclone is more than 500 km from the coast.
3. Cyclone warning: issued at least 24 hours before the bad weather, when the cyclone is within 500 km of the coast, with the time and place of landfall.
4. Post-landfall outlook: issued about 12 hours before landfall when the cyclone is within 200 km of the coast, and it also warns the interior districts likely to be affected.

The bulletins are sent to the central control rooms, the Chief Secretaries of coastal states, the disaster management authority, the armed forces, railways and the media. The Montha bulletin marked its post-landfall outlook as a "Red Message" and was addressed to the Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh among others.

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) in Hyderabad supports the system with ocean state forecasts, wave models and storm surge and coastal inundation modelling. The IMD document states that the Wave Watch-3 and SWAN models run by INCOIS are used operationally and that coastal inundation models run by INCOIS support the surge forecast. INCOIS is also home to the Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre, discussed below.

6. Cyclone shelters and mitigation

The National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project, Phase I, is a centrally sponsored project supported by a World Bank loan, started on 14 January 2011 with a cost of Rs 2,541.60 crore, and covers Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, according to the project's published description. It has four main components: upgrading early warning dissemination systems, building cyclone risk mitigation infrastructure such as multipurpose cyclone shelters, roads, bridges and saline embankments, technical assistance for capacity building, and project management. A reported figure puts the number of multipurpose cyclone shelters executed in Andhra Pradesh at 219. Treat the number as a reported one and check the project site for the latest count.

A multipurpose cyclone shelter is a building designed to withstand a cyclone and used for another purpose such as a school or community hall in normal times. Shelters work only if people know the way to them, if the route is not flooded by the surge, and if the structure is maintained. Mangrove belts and shelterbelt plantations reduce wave energy and wind speed at the coast, and saline embankments keep seawater out of farmland. These are the measures that examiners call structural (shelters, embankments, roads) and non-structural (warning, evacuation drills, land-use rules, awareness).

7. Floods: the Godavari and the Krishna

Floods in the state come from two sources: rivers carrying monsoon runoff down from the upper basins, and cyclone rainfall on top of an already wet catchment. The delta barrages at Dowleswaram on the Godavari and Prakasam on the Krishna are the points at which flood discharge is measured and flood warnings are issued. For the structures themselves, see the rivers and dams notes.

Godavari. Reference summaries record that on 16 August 1986 the flood discharge was 35.06 lakh cusecs, the largest recorded at the Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage at Dowleswaram, and that the river rose to about 75.6 feet at Bhadrachalam in the same flood. In July 2022 a press report described the river crossing the 25 lakh cusecs mark after 16 years. First flood warning at Dowleswaram is described as being issued at an inflow of 10 lakh cusecs. These are press and reference figures, so use them as indicators of scale, not as legal thresholds.

Krishna. In October 2009 the maximum inflow recorded at the Prakasam Barrage was reported as 11,10,404 cusecs on 5 October. In early September 2024 the barrage received what reports call an unprecedented flow. Different sources give the peak as 11.43 lakh cusecs inflow and about 11.03 lakh cusecs discharged through all 70 gates, with a design capacity of 11.90 lakh cusecs for the barrage. The difference between inflow and discharge, and between reports, is the reason a question that wants an exact number should state its source. The September 2024 event also involved the Budameru rivulet in Vijayawada, which reportedly carried about 70,000 cusecs against a typical maximum of 11,000.

Kolleru as a flood buffer. The department describes Kolleru as a natural flood-balancing reservoir between the two deltas. Encroachment by fish ponds reduces its capacity, and clearing them has been repeatedly attempted. This link between wetland conservation and flood safety is a favourite essay point.

Flood management measures. Embankments (called flood banks), flood forecasting by the Central Water Commission, reservoir regulation at Srisailam, Nagarjuna Sagar and Pulichintala, and evacuation of low-lying villages are the usual tools. The reasoning is simple. Upstream reservoirs absorb part of the peak, barrages pass what is left, and the delta carries the excess to the sea. When a cyclone surge blocks the outlet at the same time, the delta floods from behind.

8. Drought and Rayalaseema

Rayalaseema is the best-known drought-prone region of the state. It lies in the rain shadow of the Western Ghats for the south-west monsoon, and many of its rivers are seasonal. A reported summary gives its average annual rainfall as about 672 mm, and Ananthapuramu district as the driest district of the state with average annual rainfall of around 520 to 590 mm, which is among the lowest in the country outside the desert. Another report describes drought as occurring about once in three years in the region. Treat these as order-of-magnitude figures.

The mechanism is easy to state. The south-west monsoon, from June to September, brings less rain to the interior of the peninsula than to the coast and the windward side of the Ghats, and the north-east monsoon, from October to December, brings rain mostly to the coastal belt and the south. If both fail or are weak, the interior is left with dry spells, falling groundwater and crop failure in rain-fed groundnut and pulses. The IMD defines a meteorological drought as a rainfall deficit of more than 25% of the long-period average, with a deficit above 50% described as severe; confirm the criteria against the IMD source before quoting.

Responses to drought fall into three groups.

• Water supply: inter-basin transfers and lift schemes to bring Krishna water to the south and west, such as Handri-Neeva and Telugu Ganga, which are described in the rivers and irrigation notes.
• Farm practice: watershed development, farm ponds, micro-irrigation and drought-tolerant crops. The agriculture notes discuss crop patterns.
• Relief: drought declaration by mandal, input subsidy and employment works under the rural employment guarantee.

Drought is a "slow onset" disaster and heat wave is a related, quicker one. The IMD declares a heat wave when the maximum temperature crosses a set threshold, which for plains is 40 degrees Celsius with a departure above normal, so check the criteria in the question. Both belong in the state disaster plan.

9. The 2004 tsunami and the tsunami warning system

On 26 December 2004 a very large earthquake off the coast of Sumatra generated a tsunami that crossed the Indian Ocean and reached the Indian coast. Andhra Pradesh was hit along the Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam, Nellore and Godavari coasts. Reported summaries put the death toll in the state at about 106 with additional people missing, and most of the dead were fishermen; the district-wise breakdown in those summaries shows Krishna, Prakasam and Nellore as the worst affected. These counts differ between agencies, so use them as the scale of the event rather than as a single exact total.

After 2004 India set up the Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre at INCOIS, Hyderabad. The Ministry of Earth Sciences set up the system in 2007, and reports describe it as operating around the clock with a network of seismic stations, bottom pressure recorders and tide gauges, and the ability to issue tsunami bulletins within minutes of a major earthquake in the Indian Ocean. The system also serves other countries around the Indian Ocean.

Three exam points follow. The tsunami is not related to a cyclone or storm surge; it is caused by an undersea earthquake, landslide or volcanic event. Cyclone surge and tsunami can both flood the coast, but warnings come from different systems: the IMD for cyclones and INCOIS for tsunamis. And the 2004 event is the reason the national disaster management law was enacted the following year.

10. The Disaster Management Act, 2005

The Disaster Management Act is Act 53 of 2005, and it received assent on 23 December 2005. It extends to the whole of India and creates a three-tier structure of authorities at the national, state and district level. It defines a disaster as a catastrophe, mishap, calamity or grave occurrence in any area, arising from natural or man-made causes, or by accident or negligence, which results in substantial loss of life or human suffering or damage to and destruction of property or damage to or degradation of the environment, and is of a nature or magnitude as to be beyond the coping capacity of the community of the affected area. That last phrase, beyond the coping capacity of the community, is the part examiners like to test.

Level	Body	Head and key members	Section
National	National Disaster Management Authority	The Prime Minister is chairperson; up to nine other members	3
National	National Executive Committee	Secretary in charge of disaster management is chair	8
State	State Disaster Management Authority	The Chief Minister is chairperson; other members up to eight nominated, plus the chair of the executive committee	14
State	State Executive Committee	The Chief Secretary is chair; four secretaries	20
District	District Disaster Management Authority	The Collector or District Magistrate is chair; an elected representative is co-chair	25

Other sections that are easy to remember: Section 42 sets up the National Institute of Disaster Management; Section 44 provides for the National Disaster Response Force; Section 46 for the National Disaster Response Fund; Section 47 for the National Disaster Mitigation Fund; and Section 48 requires the State Government to establish the State Disaster Response Fund, the District Disaster Response Fund, the State Disaster Mitigation Fund and the District Disaster Mitigation Fund. The Act also requires plans at every level: a National Plan under Section 11, a State Plan under Section 23 and a District Plan under Section 31, with the District Plan prepared by the District Authority and approved by the State Authority.

Offences are in Chapter X. Obstruction of an officer or refusal to comply with a direction without reasonable cause under Section 51 is punishable with imprisonment up to one year, or fine, or both, and up to two years if the refusal causes loss of life or imminent danger of it. Section 54 punishes a false alarm or warning about a disaster leading to panic with imprisonment up to one year or with fine. The Act gives the National Authority control over the NDRF through Section 45.

A frequent trap: the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister chair the authorities, but the executive committees are headed by civil servants who run day-to-day work. The District Authority is chaired by the Collector, not by the superintendent of police. Another is to confuse the response funds, which pay for relief, with the mitigation funds, which pay for risk reduction.

11. The Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority

The Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, shortened APSDMA, was established in 2007 under the Disaster Management Act and the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Rules, 2007, according to its website, and it describes itself as the apex body in the state for disaster management. The office of the Chief Minister is the chair under Section 14 of the Act. The website lists the Minister for Home and Disaster Management and the Director of Disaster Management, who is also the managing director of APSDMA, but exam questions should ask about the offices and not the persons.

The functions the site lists are preparedness, response, mitigation and recovery, run through the State Emergency Operations Centre, district coordination, early warning systems, capacity building and training, and vulnerability and hazard mapping. The authority is housed in the revenue (disaster management) department structure, and its address is on Pathuru Cross Road in Tadepalli, in the Guntur area. The published helplines are 1070 and 112 for the state and 1800-425-0101 as a toll-free number. Check the site for current contact numbers before use.

At the district level, the District Disaster Management Authority under the Collector prepares the district plan and runs the district emergency operations centre, and the Act also lets local bodies and departments prepare their own plans. Districts matter for exams because of the reorganisation: as on October 2026 there are 28 districts, with Markapuram and Polavaram formed with effect from 31 December 2025, and each district has its own authority. See the district fact sheet.

12. Climate, environment and pollution basics

Climate. Andhra Pradesh has a tropical climate with a hot summer peaking in May, a south-west monsoon from June to September, a north-east or retreating monsoon from October to December that matters most for the coast and south, and a mild winter. The coast is humid, the interior is drier and hotter in summer, and the high Eastern Ghats in the north receive more rain than the plateau. The state is exposed to cyclone rain in October to December, heat waves in April to June and dry spells in the monsoon, which is why the state disaster plan lists cyclone, flood, drought, heat wave and earthquake together.

Environmental law in outline. Four national laws are the base: the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, which created the National Green Tribunal for environmental cases. Pollution control boards at the central and state level implement the first two. The Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board is the state's board. The Environment Protection Act appears on the Forest Department's e-publications list of Acts.

Air quality. The Central Pollution Control Board's national Air Quality Index uses six categories: Good (0 to 50), Satisfactory (51 to 100), Moderate (101 to 200), Poor (201 to 300), Very Poor (301 to 400) and Severe (401 to 500). The index is computed from pollutants such as particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and ozone. The industrial belts around Visakhapatnam and the port cities are where these questions are usually placed; the district facts are in the minerals and industries notes.

Industrial disaster. The styrene gas leak at the LG Polymers plant at R. R. Venkatapuram near Visakhapatnam on 7 May 2020 is the standard Andhra Pradesh case of a man-made disaster. Reports say 11 people were dead on the first day, with the final reported toll higher, and about a thousand people affected. The National Green Tribunal took up the matter and directed the company to deposit Rs 50 crore as interim damages. Cite the first-day count as reported, and check a current source before giving a final toll.

Wetlands and the coast. Pressure on Kolleru from aquaculture, the loss of mangrove and the encroachment of lake beds are environmental issues that are also disaster issues, since each removes a buffer. The forests and wildlife post gives the mangrove figures from the India State of Forest Report 2023.

13. Worked examples: answering in twenty seconds

Example one. "Which cyclone crossed the Andhra coast close to Bapatla on 5 December 2023?" The answer is Michaung, a severe cyclonic storm proposed by Myanmar. If the options include Mocha, remember that Mocha, proposed by Yemen, belongs to a different year and a different coast.

Example two. "Which agency issues tsunami warnings in India?" The Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre at INCOIS, Hyderabad, not the IMD. If the same question asks for the cyclone, it is the IMD.

Example three. "Who chairs the State Disaster Management Authority?" The Chief Minister, under Section 14. Who chairs the State Executive Committee? The Chief Secretary, under Section 20. The District Authority has the Collector as chair, under Section 25.

Example four. "Between which two places does the very high storm surge risk zone of the Andhra coast lie?" Bapatla and Kakinada, with expected surges of about 5 to 7 metres in the IMD description.

Key facts for exams

• IMD four stages: pre-cyclone watch (72 hours), cyclone alert (48 hours, beyond 500 km), cyclone warning (24 hours, within 500 km), post-landfall outlook (about 12 hours, within 200 km).
• Cyclone classes by wind: depression 31 to 49 kmph; deep depression 50 to 61; cyclonic storm 62 to 87; severe 88 to 117; very severe 118 to 166; extremely severe 167 to 221; super 222 and above.
• North Indian Ocean cyclones are named from lists since October 2004, proposed by member countries of the WMO and ESCAP panel.
• Storm surge zone: Bapatla to Kakinada is very high risk, about 5 to 7 m.
• Andhra Pradesh has the highest frequency of severe cyclonic storms among coastal states; Odisha has the highest frequency of cyclones overall.
• Landfalls: 1977 Chirala (19 November); 1990 Machilipatnam (9 May); Hudhud 2014 near Visakhapatnam; Michaung 2023 near Bapatla; Montha 2025 between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam.
• Floods: Godavari 35.06 lakh cusecs at Dowleswaram on 16 August 1986 (reported); Krishna at Prakasam Barrage about 11.1 lakh cusecs in October 2009 and a higher reported flow in September 2024.
• Tsunami: 26 December 2004; Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre at INCOIS Hyderabad from 2007.
• DM Act 2005: Act 53, assent 23 December 2005; NDMA Section 3; SDMA Section 14; DDMA Section 25; NDRF Section 44.
• APSDMA: established 2007; Chief Minister is chair; helplines 1070 and 112.

Common exam traps

1. Calling Hudhud, Titli or Michaung an Indian name; each was proposed by another country.
2. Giving the peak category of a storm as its category at landfall.
3. Treating a tsunami as part of a cyclone.
4. Swapping the roles of the Prime Minister, Chief Minister and Collector in the three-tier structure.
5. Confusing the executive committee, headed by a civil servant, with the authority, headed by an elected leader.
6. Using a single casualty number for the 1977 or 2004 events when the sources differ.
7. Using the Konaseema name for the present district without the full name.
8. Saying that the Krishna record flood occurred in 1986; that year belongs to the Godavari record.
9. Assuming Rayalaseema has no rain; it has monsoon rain, but it is low and irregular.
10. Mixing the response funds with the mitigation funds.

Ten practice questions

1. Which agency issues tsunami bulletins for India? a) IMD b) INCOIS c) CWC d) NDMA Answer: b) INCOIS, through the Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre at Hyderabad.

2. Under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, who chairs the State Disaster Management Authority? a) The Governor b) The Chief Secretary c) The Chief Minister d) The Collector Answer: c) The Chief Minister, under Section 14.

3. The Disaster Management Act, 2005 is numbered: a) Act 6 of 2014 b) Act 53 of 2005 c) Act 14 of 1986 d) Act 53 of 1972 Answer: b) Act 53 of 2005.

4. Cyclone Michaung of December 2023 crossed the Andhra coast close to: a) Visakhapatnam b) Kakinada c) Bapatla d) Nellore Answer: c) Bapatla, as a severe cyclonic storm.

5. A stage of the IMD warning system issued at least 24 hours before bad weather, when the cyclone is within 500 km of the coast, is called: a) Pre-cyclone watch b) Cyclone alert c) Cyclone warning d) Post-landfall outlook Answer: c) Cyclone warning.

6. The Andhra coast stretch with the highest storm surge risk in the IMD zoning lies between: a) Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam b) Bapatla and Kakinada c) Nellore and Chittoor d) Kavali and Tada Answer: b) Bapatla and Kakinada, with a surge of about 5 to 7 metres.

7. Hudhud, which struck near Visakhapatnam in 2014, was named by: a) India b) Thailand c) Oman d) Pakistan Answer: c) Oman.

8. Which Section of the Disaster Management Act provides for the National Disaster Response Force? a) Section 3 b) Section 14 c) Section 44 d) Section 54 Answer: c) Section 44.

9. The reported record Godavari flood discharge at Dowleswaram, 35.06 lakh cusecs, occurred in: a) 1953 b) 1986 c) 2009 d) 2022 Answer: b) 1986 (16 August), in reference summaries.

10. Which wetland acts as a natural flood-balancing reservoir between the Godavari and Krishna deltas? a) Pulicat b) Kolleru c) Nelapattu d) Coringa Answer: b) Kolleru.

Frequently asked questions

Which cyclone was the most recent to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast as on October 2026? Montha, a severe cyclonic storm that crossed between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, near Kakinada, around the night of 28 to 29 October 2025. A deep depression in September 2026 crossed near Kalingapatnam according to press reports, but it was not classified as a cyclonic storm.

Who warns the public about cyclones? The IMD issues cyclone bulletins through its cyclone warning centre at Visakhapatnam and the area centre at Chennai, and the state disaster management authority and district collectors pass the warning to villages.

What is the difference between a depression and a cyclone? A depression has winds of 31 to 49 kmph. A cyclonic storm starts at 62 kmph. Deep depression sits between at 50 to 61 kmph.

What structure does the Disaster Management Act, 2005 create? It sets up authorities at the national, state and district levels, each with an executive arm, as in the table in this post.

Is Rayalaseema a desert? No. It is a semi-arid region with low and variable rainfall, and it is drought-prone because of that variability.

Which flood was greater, 2009 or 2024 on the Krishna? Both are described as record floods. Reported peaks at Prakasam Barrage are 11.1 lakh cusecs in October 2009 and about 11.4 lakh cusecs inflow in September 2024. Use the source your question follows.

Does a cyclone name tell you where it formed? No. Names are taken in order from the panel's lists, and each country supplies names that rotate through the lists.

Related reading

• AP geography notes: rivers, districts and ports
• AP rivers, dams and irrigation projects notes
• AP minerals, industries, SEZs and ports notes
• AP forests, wildlife and national parks
• AP agriculture, irrigation and crops
• AP district-wise fact sheet: 28 districts
• Telugu version of this post

Practise on Pareeksha

Once the cyclone table, the three-tier structure and the warning stages are in memory, test yourself on timed questions on pareeksha.in, which offers 10 Lakh+ MCQs, 100+ Exams and 5,000+ Full-Length Mocks. Facts that change, such as casualty counts, shelter numbers, flood records and contact numbers, must always be confirmed against the latest official source.

Sources and verification

Pages opened for this post (official first):

• India Meteorological Department, Frequently Asked Questions on Tropical Cyclones and Marine Weather Services (rsmcnewdelhi.imd.gov.in): classification, naming, frequency, four-stage warning system, storm surge zones, damage guide, very intense cyclone landfall table.
• India Meteorological Department, National Bulletin No. 40 of 28 October 2025 on Severe Cyclonic Storm Montha, and the damage potential document (rsmcnewdelhi.imd.gov.in, mausam.imd.gov.in).
• India Meteorological Department, hourly update Bulletin No. 14 of 5 December 2023 on Severe Cyclonic Storm Michaung.
• The Disaster Management Act, 2005 (Act 53 of 2005), full text as hosted by PRS Legislative Research (prsindia.org): definitions, Sections 3, 8, 11, 14, 20, 23, 25, 31, 42, 44 to 48, 51 and 54.
• Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority website (apsdma.ap.gov.in): constitution, functions, helplines.

Search summaries (not opened as full pages) were used for: the landfall details of Hudhud, Titli, Phethai, Laila, the 1977 and 1996 cyclones; the Godavari 1986 and Krishna 2009 and 2024 flood figures; the 2004 tsunami toll in Andhra Pradesh; the NCRMP details and the 219 shelter figure; rainfall of Rayalaseema; the INCOIS tsunami centre; the LG Polymers leak; and the September 2026 depression.

Not verified: exact casualty counts of the 1977, 1996 and 2004 events and of recent storms; the precise landfall times of Montha beyond the IMD pre-landfall bulletin; the peak category of Hudhud at landfall; the latest cyclone shelter count; the exact Krishna 2024 peak; the IMD drought and heat wave criteria as quoted; the state disaster management rules in detail. These are marked in the text as reported figures. Check the latest official notification before quoting any of them in an answer.