Cyclone Murasu nears Andhra Pradesh coast with 100-110 kmph winds, second storm in a week

Severe Cyclonic Storm Murasu lay centered near 14.3°N 80.9°E at midday on November 2, about 100 km east of Nellore and 160 km southeast of Ongole, moving northwest at roughly 10-14 kmph. The India Meteorological Department expects it to cross the south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narsapur, south of Ongole, from 2330 IST on November 2 to 0400 IST on November 3 as a severe cyclonic storm.

Sustained winds near the center stand at 100-110 kmph, with gusts to 120 kmph. A storm surge of 1.0-1.5 m above astronomical tide is likely to inundate low-lying stretches of south coastal Andhra Pradesh, with the maximum peak over Bapatla and parts of Krishna and Prakasam districts. The surge is already expected to exceed 0.5 m from the evening of November 2.

Authorities have begun evacuations along the eastern coast. Prakhar Jain, managing director of the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, told Reuters that around 2,000 people had been moved by Monday morning and that plans called for evacuating up to 30,000 more. Schools and colleges in Chennai and Tiruvallur districts of Tamil Nadu were closed for the day because of heavy rain forecasts. Orange alerts covered six districts in Telangana and yellow alerts covered five more.

This is the second cyclone to affect the region in less than a week. Cyclone Arnab made landfall in Andhra Pradesh on October 28. It killed at least six people, damaged dozens of houses and destroyed crops. In neighboring Odisha, heavy rain from that system triggered a landslide in Ganjam district that left 12 people missing. Odisha has opened five gates of the Hirakud dam and begun evacuations from landslide-prone areas ahead of Murasu. Relief packages announced after Arnab include input subsidies for farmers with 33 percent or greater crop loss on up to two hectares, plus cash assistance of 6,500 rupees for partially damaged pucca houses and 4,000 rupees for kutcha houses.

IndiGo cancelled at least 11 flights to and from Chennai, including three linked to Vijayawada, and reported further impacts at Visakhapatnam. Port signals remain at distant warning level 2 at Sri Vijayapuram. Sea conditions are high north of 12°N near the storm center and rough to very rough farther south.

IMD bulletins track the system’s movement carefully. At 0830 IST it was 160 km east-southeast of Nellore, 180 km northeast of Chennai and 210 km southeast of Ongole. By 1430 IST the center had drawn closer, at about 100 km east of Nellore. After landfall the storm is expected to weaken over land while continuing northwest then turning north-northeast ahead of an upper-level trough.

Coastal Andhra Pradesh, north Tamil Nadu, Odisha and parts of Telangana face heavy to very heavy rainfall through November 3, with isolated extremely heavy falls near the landfall zone. Gale-force winds of 45-60 knots gusting higher are already affecting the coastal waters. Residents in low-lying and vulnerable areas have been told to move to safer locations before the surge peaks overnight.

The back-to-back systems arrive as the northeast monsoon is active over southern peninsular India. Warm sea-surface temperatures and an active Madden-Julian Oscillation phase have supported the rapid development of both storms. Recovery from Arnab is incomplete in several coastal mandals, so the second landfall will test drainage systems, power infrastructure and temporary shelters already in use.

District collectors in Nellore, Prakasam and surrounding areas have activated control rooms and pre-positioned relief teams. Fishing has been suspended along the affected coasts. The next IMD updates will refine the exact landfall timing as the center approaches the shore. The combination of residual damage from Arnab and the incoming surge and winds will determine how quickly normal activity can resume in the coastal districts after November 3.