Cyclone Murasu Crosses Andhra Coast Near Ongole With 120 kmph Gusts

Severe Cyclonic Storm Murasu crossed the south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narsapur, close to Ongole in Prakasam district, between 3.30 am and 5.30 am on Tuesday, 3 November 2026. The India Meteorological Department recorded sustained winds of 100-110 kmph gusting to 120 kmph at the landfall point near latitude 15.53°N and longitude 80.22°E.

The landfall process began around 1 am. By 3 am the inner spiral band in the northern sector had touched land and the wall cloud region was entering the coast. At 10.30 am the system lay about 30 km from Ongole, 40 km west-southwest of Bapatla, 90 km north of Kavali and 100 km south-southwest of Vijayawada, moving north-northwestwards at 8 kmph. By noon it had weakened into a cyclonic storm with winds of 80-90 kmph gusting to 100 kmph. IMD projected further weakening into a deep depression by midnight, with winds of 55-65 kmph gusting to 75 kmph.

Heavy to extremely heavy rainfall continued over south coastal Andhra Pradesh for several hours after landfall. Kothapatnam in Prakasam district recorded 16.4 cm between 8.30 am Monday and 5 am Tuesday. Naguluppalapadu received 11.4 cm and Chirala in Bapatla district 10 cm in the same period. Other stations reported 44-48.5 mm in shorter intervals. Gurijepalli of Prakasam district logged 48.5 mm and Addanki 44 mm between 8.30 am and 10 am on Tuesday alone. The Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority reported exceptionally heavy falls, with Naguluppalapadu at 198.01 mm and Kothapatnam at 182.25 mm in broader windows.

Authorities evacuated thousands from low-lying coastal areas ahead of the storm. Nineteen domestic flights were cancelled at Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Tirupati airports. IndiGo cancelled ten flights and Air India Express two at Vijayawada. Train services were disrupted, power lines and trees came down, fishing boats were damaged and standing crops suffered losses. Early reports noted no major casualties. A storm surge of 1-1.5 metres above the astronomical tide inundated low-lying stretches in Bapatla, Krishna and Prakasam districts. Rough seas and high waves prevailed along the Kothapatnam coast near Ongole.

The system formed in the central Bay of Bengal on 1 November and tracked west-northwest, intensifying into a severe cyclonic storm before landfall. It was the second cyclone to strike the Andhra coast in a week after Cyclone Arnab made landfall farther north near Kakinada. Doppler weather radars at Machilipatnam and Visakhapatnam tracked the system continuously. Port signals were adjusted: Great Danger Signal X was replaced with Danger Signal VII at Nizampatnam and Vadarevu, and similar downgrades occurred at other ports as the storm moved inland.

Districts including Prakasam, Bapatla, Palnadu and Guntur bore the heaviest impact. Waterlogging affected traffic in parts of Vijayawada. The Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority issued extreme-level warnings for multiple districts including Bapatla, Krishna, Nellore, Prakasam, Guntur, Kakinada, Eluru, NTR, Palnadu, West Godavari and Markapuram. Counting of votes in urban local body elections was delayed in some areas. Schools and offices closed in affected zones. Residents of coastal villages reported damaged houses, boats and property as the cyclone swept through.

By afternoon the storm had weakened into a cyclonic storm. Squally winds and rough seas persisted along the coast. IMD advised fishermen to remain in harbour and residents in low-lying areas to stay vigilant against further rain. The rapid weakening reduced the risk of prolonged high winds but left residual flooding and infrastructure repair needs across the coastal belt. Heavy to very heavy rainfall remained likely at a few places in coastal Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, with extremely heavy showers forecast at isolated locations.

Murasu's track and intensity aligned with earlier IMD forecasts that placed landfall between Nellore and Narsapur near Ongole during the early hours of 3 November. The combination of pre-positioned relief teams, evacuation and the system's quick inland decay limited immediate loss of life, though property and agricultural damage assessments continued through the day. The event underscored the frequency of Bay of Bengal systems affecting the Andhra coast in late season and the operational value of continuous radar monitoring and coordinated district-level response.

As the depression continued north-northwestwards, residual rain bands affected North Tamil Nadu and Puducherry as well. The overall impact remained concentrated on south coastal Andhra Pradesh, where power restoration, road clearance and crop damage surveys were the immediate priorities after the winds eased.