Cyclone Murasu weakens after Andhra landfall; two dead, crops and homes damaged

Cyclone Murasu weakened into a cyclonic storm over south coastal Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday after making landfall near Ongole in Prakasam district. The India Meteorological Department reported that the system crossed the coast between Nellore and Narsapur between 0330 and 0530 hours IST with sustained winds of 100-110 kmph gusting to 120 kmph. By afternoon it had moved north-northwestwards and lost strength.

At least two people died in cyclone-related incidents, according to Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority Managing Director Prakhar Jain. Approximately 12,230 people remained in rehabilitation centres. Preliminary estimates placed total damage at Rs 344 crore. Standing crops across 52,459 hectares were affected, and 312 houses sustained damage. Authorities were monitoring 814 minor irrigation tanks, with 776 placed on high alert.

The storm was the second cyclone to affect the region within a week, following Cyclone Arnab. It uprooted trees, toppled electricity poles, and flooded low-lying areas in Prakasam and Bapatla districts. Fishing boats were wrecked along the coast. A storm surge of 1-1.5 metres above the astronomical tide was forecast to inundate parts of south coastal Andhra Pradesh during the landfall period. Maximum peak surge was expected over Bapatla, Krishna, and Prakasam districts.

Home Minister Amit Shah spoke with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and assured full central assistance. National and state disaster response teams were already deployed. Educational institutions were closed as a precaution. Nineteen domestic flights were cancelled at Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, and Tirupati airports. IndiGo cancelled ten flights and Air India Express cancelled two.

IMD tracked the system under continuous Doppler radar surveillance from Machilipatnam and Visakhapatnam. After landfall the cyclone moved at about 7-8 kmph and was located roughly 40 km west-northwest of Bapatla by early afternoon. Maximum sustained winds had dropped to 80-90 kmph gusting to 100 kmph. Further weakening into a deep depression was expected by midnight.

Local fishermen described the event as the most intense in the last 14 years. One from Kothapatnam in Prakasam district said about 400 families from his village had been evacuated before the storm arrived. Evacuation efforts began on Monday and targeted roughly 30,000 people across affected districts. Jain stated that some trees and poles had been uprooted but that no deaths had been reported in the earliest assessments; later figures confirmed two fatalities.

The landfall process itself lasted one to two hours as the wall cloud entered the coast. Heavy to very heavy rain fell across several districts through the day. Odisha’s southern districts received lighter rainfall as the system weakened and moved inland. No major incidents were reported there.

Crop damage covers a wide area of standing paddy and other seasonal plantings. The Rs 344 crore preliminary figure includes agricultural losses, house damage, and infrastructure repair needs. Full assessment will continue as water recedes and teams reach interior villages. Irrigation tank monitoring remains active because of the risk of breaches from residual rainfall and runoff.

Flight disruptions were limited to the three airports in the immediate path. Ground transport was affected by fallen trees and flooded roads in coastal stretches. Power restoration work began once winds subsided. The central government’s assurance of support covers both immediate relief and longer-term reconstruction.

Murasu’s rapid weakening after landfall follows the typical pattern for cyclones that move over land in this season. The residual system is expected to continue north-northwestwards and dissipate further. IMD advisories remain in force for residual heavy rain and localised flooding until the depression stage ends.

The two confirmed deaths and the scale of crop and house damage establish the human and economic impact of the landfall. Authorities continue to shelter displaced residents and evaluate tank safety while recovery operations expand. The sequence from intensification in the Bay of Bengal to landfall near Ongole and subsequent weakening is now fully documented by IMD observations.