Cyclone Murasu Weakens After Killing Two and Damaging Crops in Andhra Pradesh
The severe cyclonic storm made landfall near Ongole with winds of 100-120 km/h, affecting over 52,000 hectares of farmland before moving inland as a depression.
Amaravati2 min read
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Severe Cyclonic Storm Murasu weakened into a depression over east Telangana and adjoining coastal Andhra Pradesh on November 4, 2026, after making landfall near Ongole the previous day. The India Meteorological Department placed the center near 17.0°N, 80.1°E at 5:30 am IST, about 30 km northwest of Nandigama.
The storm crossed the coast between Bapatla and Prakasam districts early on November 3 with sustained winds of 100-110 km/h gusting to 120 km/h. Two people died in cyclone-related incidents. Preliminary assessments put economic losses at ₹344 crore. Crops on more than 52,000 hectares were damaged, 312 houses were affected, and power was disrupted in thousands of villages. More than 12,000 people remained in shelters.
The system originated as a low-pressure area over the Andaman Sea on October 29 and intensified into a cyclonic storm over the south-central Bay of Bengal on November 1. It reached severe cyclonic storm strength before landfall. Bapatla recorded 22 cm of rain. Other stations including Narasapur and Addanki also saw heavy falls. The IMD warned of continued heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places in coastal Andhra on November 4.
Authorities cancelled or diverted trains and flights between Chennai, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, and Tirupati. The Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission rescheduled results for several urban body elections. NDRF and SDRF teams were deployed for rescue and relief. The storm largely spared Odisha while concentrating its impact on Prakasam, Bapatla, Krishna, and neighboring districts.
By Wednesday morning the remnant had moved northwards at about 10 km/h and was expected to weaken further into a well-marked low-pressure area within 12 hours. Doppler radars at Machilipatnam and Visakhapatnam continued to monitor the system. Fishing and shipping restrictions remained in place based on the latest IMD updates.
The back-to-back impact with earlier Cyclone Arnab added to agricultural losses in the region. Standing crops of paddy, cotton, and maize suffered the heaviest damage. Power infrastructure losses included thousands of electric poles. Local administrations continued damage surveys and distribution of relief materials while the depression tracked inland.
The IMD's sequential bulletins tracked the weakening from severe cyclonic storm to deep depression to depression over roughly 36 hours. No further intensification is expected. Residual heavy rainfall remains the main hazard for low-lying areas in coastal and eastern districts through November 4.
