Severe Cyclonic Storm Murasu Makes Landfall Near Ongole, Damaging Crops and Infrastructure in Andhra Pradesh

Severe Cyclonic Storm Murasu crossed the south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narsapur, close to Ongole in Prakasam district, between 3:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. IST on 3 November 2026. The India Meteorological Department recorded sustained winds of 100 to 110 kmph with gusts reaching 120 kmph at the landfall point near latitude 15.53°N and longitude 80.22°E.

The landfall process began around 1 a.m. The inner spiral band in the northern sector touched land first, followed by the wall cloud region. A storm surge of 1 to 1.5 metres above the astronomical tide was expected to inundate low-lying areas of south coastal Andhra Pradesh, with the maximum peak surge over Bapatla, Krishna and Prakasam districts.

Districts including Prakasam, Bapatla, Palnadu and Guntur bore the heaviest impact. Ponnur in Guntur recorded 312.76 mm of rainfall, while Guntur city received 298.36 mm. Kothapatnam in Prakasam logged 164.3 mm between 8:30 a.m. on 2 November and 5 a.m. on 3 November. Other high readings included 11.4 cm in Naguluppalapadu and 10 cm in Chirala.

Preliminary assessments by state authorities put the combined crop inundation figure at 5,969 hectares across 35 villages. East Godavari reported another 350 hectares across 19 villages, affecting 466 farmers. Prakasam district saw the highest human impact, with 99,899 people from 30,895 households affected across eight mandals and 27 villages. Statewide, 1.75 lakh people from 44,651 households were covered in the early impact count.

Authorities evacuated thousands before the storm arrived. Prakhar Jain, managing director of the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, told Reuters that about 30,000 people were planned for relocation. Fisherman Krishnamma from Kothapatnam in Prakasam district told PTI that around 400 families from his village had been moved. He described it as the most dangerous cyclone the area had seen in 14 years. Mangamma, another resident, said one of her three fishing boats was completely destroyed. Fishing forms the main livelihood for many coastal families.

Damage reports listed thousands of uprooted trees, hundreds of damaged electric poles, wrecked fishing boats and inundated standing crops. At the time of the initial assessment, 112 electric poles were identified as damaged, with only one rectified. Seventy-one uprooted trees were recorded, of which 69 had been cleared. No human casualties, house damage or livestock losses had been confirmed in the earliest official counts. Power outages and communication disruptions occurred in affected areas. Vehicles were stranded on national highways due to reduced visibility from heavy rain and strong winds.

Nineteen flights were cancelled at Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Tirupati airports. IndiGo cancelled 10 flights and Air India Express two at Vijayawada alone. Schools remained closed in eight districts: NTR, Krishna, Guntur, Bapatla, Palnadu, Prakasam, Nellore and Markapuram.

Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. Shah assured full central support. National and state disaster response teams were already on the ground. The state government released relief funds to 17 districts.

The IMD forecast that Murasu would weaken into a deep depression by midnight on 3 November, with winds dropping to 55-65 kmph gusting to 75 kmph. Heavy to very heavy rain was still expected over Eluru, Krishna and Bapatla districts through the day. This was the second cyclone to strike the region in a week after Cyclone Arnab.

Coastal Andhra Pradesh has faced repeated cyclonic activity in recent years. The combination of early evacuation, pre-positioned response teams and the storm's relatively moderate intensity at landfall limited immediate human loss. The longer-term cost will appear in damaged crops, boats and infrastructure that support fishing and farming communities along the coast.

Recovery work focused on clearing fallen trees, restoring power and assessing crop losses. The preliminary figures on inundated hectares and affected households provide the first concrete measure of the storm's footprint before fuller surveys are completed.