Cyclone Murasu intensifies into severe storm near Andhra coast
The system is expected to make landfall between Nellore and Narsapur late Monday night or early Tuesday morning.
Cyclonic Storm Murasu intensified into a Severe Cyclonic Storm over the west-central and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal in the early hours of Monday, November 2, according to The Hindu and ANI. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated the system is likely to cross the south Andhra Pradesh coast between 11.30 pm on November 2 and 4 am on November 3.
The storm is expected to make landfall near Ongole, between Nellore and Narsapur, with sustained wind speeds of 100 to 110 kmph and gusts reaching 120 kmph. At 2.30 am, the system was centred over the Bay of Bengal, approximately 260 km east-northeast of Chennai and 470 km south of Visakhapatnam.
In response to the warning, three teams from the 4th battalion of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have departed from Tamil Nadu for Andhra Pradesh to conduct rescue and relief operations. In Rayagada, Additional District Magistrate (General) Ravindranath Kahanra said the administration has deployed 11 fire station teams and heavy machinery, including JCBs and excavators, to strategic locations for emergency response.
Kahanra noted that the district was under a yellow warning until November 2, with an orange warning scheduled for November 3 and 4. The administration also held a virtual emergency review meeting on Sunday to assess early warning systems, shelter arrangements, and essential equipment availability.