Cyclone Murasu: 11 Chennai flights cancelled as storm intensifies
Severe cyclonic storm Murasu is expected to make landfall on the Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narasapur.
Eleven flights to and from Chennai have been cancelled due to adverse weather conditions caused by Cyclone Murasu, according to reports from Urban Acres and The Hindu.
The storm has intensified into a severe cyclonic storm in the Bay of Bengal and is moving northwest at a speed of 25 kmph, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The IMD forecast states the cyclone is likely to cross the southern Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narasapur, near Ongole, between 11.30 pm on November 2 and 4 am on November 3.
The storm is expected to make landfall with wind speeds of 100-110 kmph, gusting to 120 kmph.
In Odisha, the government has expedited evacuations from vulnerable areas as the storm is expected to impact southern districts including Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri, according to Times Now.
Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said over 300 rescue teams from the NDRF, ODRAF and Odisha Fire Service have been pre-positioned.
Three teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have also left Arakkonam for Andhra Pradesh to support emergency response operations.