Cyclone Murasu to make landfall on Andhra Pradesh coast on November 3
The severe cyclonic storm is expected to bring high wind speeds and a storm surge to several coastal districts.
Cyclone Murasu is expected to make landfall between Nellore and Narsapur in Andhra Pradesh between 11.30 pm on November 2 and 4 am on November 3, according to reports by Mint, Moneycontrol and The Indian Express. The system, which intensified into a severe cyclonic storm over the west-central Bay of Bengal, is moving west-northwestwards at 22 kmph.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast maximum sustained wind speeds of 100-110 kmph, with gusts reaching up to 120 kmph. A storm surge of approximately 1 to 1.5 metres above the astronomical tide may flood low-lying areas in the Bapatla, Krishna and Prakasam districts of south coastal Andhra Pradesh.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall is predicted for Andhra Pradesh's South Coastal region and Rayalaseema, with isolated extremely heavy rain possible. Other states including Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Karnataka, Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are also expected to experience rain.
In Odisha, Manorama Mohanty, director of the meteorological centre in Bhubaneswar, said the state will receive rainfall from November 2, with intensity increasing on November 3 and continuing through November 4. The state has issued a high alert for its southern region, including Ganjam.
The Regional Meteorological Centre in Kolkata has forecast light rain or thundershowers for parts of North Bengal, such as Darjeeling and Kalimpong, and South Bengal districts like Kolkata, Howrah and North 24 Parganas on Tuesday and Wednesday. Dry weather is expected to prevail in these areas from Wednesday onwards.
The IMD expects the system to weaken into a cyclonic storm on the morning of November 3, becoming a deep depression later that day and a depression by November 4.