Cyclone Murasu Makes Landfall on Andhra Pradesh Coast

Severe Cyclonic Storm Murasu made landfall on the south Andhra Pradesh coast between Bapatla and Prakasam districts in the early hours of November 3, 2026. The India Meteorological Department placed the crossing near Chinaganjam, with the process running from roughly 1 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. local time. Sustained winds were 100 to 110 km/h with gusts to 120 km/h.

The system originated as a low-pressure area over the Andaman Sea on October 29. It intensified into a cyclonic storm over the south-central Bay of Bengal on November 1 and strengthened further as it tracked north-west toward the coast. By the time of landfall it was a severe cyclonic storm with a compact eye roughly 30 to 40 km across. It weakened into a depression over south-eastern Telangana by November 3.

Authorities had warned 48 districts across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, southern Odisha and north-east Tamil Nadu of heavy rain, strong winds and storm surge. Thousands were evacuated from low-lying areas. Flights were cancelled and transport suspended in affected zones. Early assessments recorded damage to more than 52,000 hectares of agricultural land, 31,000 electric poles and 312 houses. Power was lost in 4,095 villages. Two deaths were linked to collapsed houses.

This was the second cyclone to strike the Andhra coast in a week. Cyclone Arnab had made landfall further north near Kakinada days earlier. The state government estimated combined losses from the two systems in the thousands of crores and sought immediate central relief. The Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission rescheduled results for several urban body elections in the affected districts.

Doppler radars at Chennai and Machilipatnam tracked the storm continuously. The IMD issued successive bulletins on position, intensity and expected landfall window. After crossing, the remnant moved slowly northward and weakened. Rainfall continued inland for another day before the system dissipated.

Crop losses concentrated in coastal districts where the eye wall passed. Power restoration and assessment of damaged housing will take days. The compact size of the storm limited the width of the highest wind zone compared with larger systems, yet the intensity at landfall still produced structural damage. No major industrial or port facilities reported catastrophic hits in the initial reports.

The sequence of two cyclones in quick succession tested state preparedness. Evacuation numbers and the absence of a larger death toll indicate that warnings reached most coastal communities. Full damage surveys are ongoing. Relief distribution and power repair remain the immediate priorities for district administrations.