Cyclone Murasu intensifies into severe cyclonic storm near Andhra coast
The storm is expected to make landfall between Nellore and Narsapur on the night of November 2-3 with winds up to 120 kmph.
Cyclonic Storm Murasu intensified into a severe cyclonic storm over the West Central and Southwest Bay of Bengal in the early hours of Monday, November 2, according to The Hindu. The system is moving northwestwards and is expected to cross the south Andhra Pradesh coast near Ongole between 11.30 pm on Monday and 4 am on Tuesday.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated that the storm will have wind speeds of 100 to 110 kmph, gusting up to 120 kmph. Nellore, Narsapur, and Ongole are likely to be the worst affected areas. As of 2.30 am, the storm was located approximately 260 km east-northeast of Chennai and 290 km east-southeast of Nellore.
Heavy rainfall has already been recorded in parts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, Chengalpattu, and Tiruvallur. In Chennai, Madhavaram recorded 11 cm of rain, while Ennore Port and Nungambakkam both logged 10 cm. The IMD has issued an orange alert for Chennai, where schools remain closed on Monday.
In Andhra Pradesh, the IMD issued an extremely heavy rainfall alert for Eluru, Krishna, Guntur, Bapatla, and SPSR Nellore districts. Prakhar Jain, managing director of the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, said that around 2,000 people have been evacuated, with plans to evacuate approximately 30,000 people.
Three teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed from Tamil Nadu to Andhra Pradesh for relief operations. Meanwhile, Chennai Airport authorities announced the cancellation of certain flights due to adverse weather conditions, and IndiGo issued a travel advisory for Visakhapatnam.