Cyclone Murasu makes landfall near Ongole with 120 kmph winds
Heavy rainfall and storm surges are expected to affect South Coastal Andhra Pradesh following the cyclone's landfall on Wednesday.
Severe cyclonic storm Murasu began making landfall near Ongole in Prakasam district in the early hours of Wednesday, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The landfall process started at approximately 1 am on November 3, according to reports by Deccan Herald and Deccan Chronicle.
The cyclone brought heavy rainfall and gale-force winds reaching 110 kmph, with gusts up to 120 kmph. The IMD stated that the forward sector of the wall cloud was moving onto the coast as the wall cloud region approached the shoreline.
As of 0130 hours, the storm was centred over the west-central Bay of Bengal, located about 40 km southeast of Ongole, 60 km northeast of Kavali, and 70 km south of Bapatla. The IMD expects the landfall point to be between Nellore and Narsapur.
The weather department warned that gale winds could continue along the coast until Wednesday morning. Heavy rain is also expected across South Coastal Andhra Pradesh for the next 12 hours.
A storm surge of 1-1.5 metres above the astronomical tide may flood low-lying areas in South Coastal Andhra Pradesh until Wednesday morning. The highest peak surge is anticipated over the Bapatla, Krishna, and Prakasam districts.
Additionally, the Met Centre Amaravati has issued red alerts for extremely heavy rain, thunderstorms, squalls, and lightning in Bapatla, Nellore, Prakasam, Chittoor, and Tirupathi districts.