Cyclone Murasu Moves Toward Coast As Schools Shut In Chennai

Cyclonic storm Murasu has formed over the Bay of Bengal and is heading toward the coast. The storm moved west-northwest at a speed of 25 kilometres per hour over the past six hours. By Sunday evening at 5:30 p.m., it was centred about 420 kilometres east-southeast of Chennai, 490 kilometres east-southeast of Nellore, 500 kilometres southeast of Machilipatnam, 510 kilometres east-southeast of Kavali, 530 kilometres southeast of Ongole, and 560 kilometres south-southeast of Vishakhapatnam.

Storm Path And Rains

The system is expected to grow stronger into a severe cyclonic storm by Monday morning. It will likely move northwest and cross the south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narsapur between Monday midnight and Tuesday morning, with wind speeds reaching 100 to 120 kilometres per hour. For the 24 hours ending Monday morning, Tiruvallur district will see heavy to very heavy rain with thunderstorms and lightning. Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Ranipet, and Nilgiris districts will get heavy rainfall. Other areas like Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Cuddalore, Erode, Tirupur, Salem, Namakkal, Karur, Tiruchi, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari, Western Ghat districts, and Puducherry will receive moderate rain, while light rain is expected in the rest of the State and Karaikal.

School Holiday And Forecast

Chennai District Collector S. Malathi Helen announced a holiday for schools on Monday due to the heavy rains. For the 24 hours starting Monday morning, heavy to very heavy rain is expected in Chennai and Tiruvallur districts with gusty winds reaching 40 to 50 kilometres per hour. Heavy rain will also hit Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Ranipet, Vellore, and Nilgiris districts. On Tuesday, heavy rain will continue in Nilgiris district, with moderate rain in north Tamil Nadu, Western Ghat districts, Puducherry, and Karaikal, and light to moderate rain across the rest of the State.

Context

Bay of Bengal cyclones frequently form during the post-monsoon months, bringing heavy rainfall and strong winds to coastal regions of southern India. Local administrations routinely declare school holidays during severe weather alerts to ensure the safety of students and manage traffic disruptions.