Severe Cyclone Murasu Nears South Andhra Coast With High Winds and Heavy Rains

UPDATE - follow-up to Cyclone Murasu Live updates: Heavy rain lashes Konaseema as cyclone Murasu nears Andhra coast: Cyclone Murasu has intensified into a severe cyclonic storm in the Bay of Bengal and is moving towards the south Andhra Pradesh coast.

Landfall and Wind Speeds

The storm is set to cross the coast between Nellore and Narsapur, south of Ongole, between 11:30 p.m. on November 2 and 4 a.m. on November 3, 2026. Sustained wind speeds during landfall are expected to reach 100 to 110 kmph, with gusts hitting 120 kmph. A storm surge of 1.5 to 2 metres above the astronomical tide is likely to flood low-lying areas in South Coastal Andhra Pradesh, with peak surge expected in Bapatla and parts of Krishna and Prakasam districts.

Evacuations and Preparations

Around 2,000 people have been evacuated so far, and authorities plan to move some 30,000 people to safety, according to Prakhar Jain, managing director of the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority. The National Disaster Response Force has deployed 14 teams, consisting of 11 in Andhra Pradesh and 3 in Tamil Nadu. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu held a video conference with Bapatla Collector Vinod Kumar V to review preparedness. Nellore District Collector Himanshu Shukla urged residents not to panic-buy, noting the district has 1,710 kilolitres of petrol, 2,832 kilolitres of diesel, and 21,385 LPG cylinders.

Transport and Regional Impacts

Eleven flights arriving and departing from Chennai airport and ten IndiGo flights from Gannavaram Airport have been cancelled. IndiGo also reported disruptions in Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada, and Tirupati. Schools and colleges in Chennai and Tiruvallur districts are closed due to heavy rain. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu is sending 25 teams with equipment to help Andhra Pradesh with power restoration after Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay received a call for support from N. Chandrababu Naidu, as stated by Tamil Nadu Minister C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar. The preliminary damage estimate from the earlier Cyclone Arnab stands at Rs 4,526 crore.

Context

Severe cyclonic storms bring powerful winds and torrential rain that routinely disrupt transport, power grids, and daily life across India's eastern coastline. Timely evacuations and pre-positioned disaster response units are standard measures used by state administrations to minimize loss of life during severe weather events.