Severe Cyclone Murasu makes landfall in Andhra Pradesh with heavy rains and strong winds

Landfall and Wind Speed

Severe cyclonic storm Murasu hit the Andhra Pradesh coast near Ongole in Prakasam district early Tuesday morning. The storm brought winds of 110 to 120 kilometers per hour. Heavy rainfall lashed several districts, with Bapatla recording 222 millimeters of rain.

Impact and Evacuations

Authorities shifted about 2,000 people to safe locations before the landfall. In Palnadu district, about 150 flood-affected people from Vinukonda mandal were moved to a relief camp in an RTC bus. Prakasam district collector P. Raja Babu stated that no lives were lost. According to Navbharat Live, the Bay of Bengal experiences four times as many cyclones as the Arabian Sea due to warm waters and weather systems.

Future Forecast

The storm is moving north-northwest and weakening. It is expected to turn into a deep depression by midnight. The IMD has warned of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, and Telangana over the next two days.

Context

Tropical cyclones form over warm ocean waters when low-pressure systems draw in surrounding air and moisture. Coastal regions in India frequently face heavy rainfall and storm surges during the monsoon and post-monsoon seasons, requiring large-scale evacuation efforts by state and national disaster teams.