Cyclone Murasu intensifies into severe storm, schools closed in Chennai

UPDATE - follow-up to Storm 'Murasu' to bring very heavy rain over north Tamil Nadu: Cyclonic storm Murasu has intensified further over the Bay of Bengal, prompting school closures in Chennai and severe weather warnings across Tamil Nadu. The system lay centred at 5.30 p.m. on Sunday at about 420 km east-southeast of Chennai, 490 km east-southeast of Nellore, 500 km southeast of Machilipatnam, 510 km east-southeast of Kavali, 530 km southeast of Ongole and 560 km south-southeast of Vishakhapatnam. It is expected to cross the south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narsapur as a severe cyclonic storm with wind speeds of 100 to 120 kmph between Monday midnight and the early hours of Tuesday.

Rainfall And Closures

Chennai District Collector S. Malathi Helen announced a holiday for schools on Monday due to the heavy rains. The Regional Meteorological Centre forecast heavy to very heavy rain with thunderstorms and lightning over Tiruvallur district for the 24-hour period ending 8.30 a.m. on Monday. Isolated places over Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Ranipet and Nilgiris districts will also get heavy rainfall. Moderate rainfall is expected in districts including Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Cuddalore, Erode, Tirupur, Salem, Namakkal, Karur, Tiruchi, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari, the rest of the Western Ghat districts, and Puducherry, while light rain will occur over the rest of the State and Karaikal. For the 24-hour period starting 8.30 a.m. on Monday, heavy to very heavy rain with gusty winds of 40-50 kmph is likely over Chennai and Tiruvallur districts. Tuesday will bring heavy rain to the Nilgiris district.

Context

Tropical cyclones frequently form in the Bay of Bengal during the northeast monsoon season, bringing heavy rainfall and strong winds to India's eastern coastal states. Local administrations routinely declare school holidays during severe weather alerts to ensure the safety of students and staff during transit.