Cyclone Murasu has strengthened into a severe cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal and is now bearing down on the southern Andhra Pradesh coast, prompting weather alerts across four states, the closure of schools and colleges in several districts, and the deployment of disaster response teams along the coastline.
The India Meteorological Department has said the storm is expected to cross the coast between Nellore and Narsapur, close to Ongole, during the night of November 2 and the early hours of November 3, bringing winds of 100 to 110 kilometres per hour, gusting to 120 kilometres per hour, along with extremely heavy rainfall in parts of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Odisha.
The system began as a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal and intensified into a cyclonic storm on Sunday, November 1. It was named Murasu, a Tamil word meaning war drum. By the early hours of Monday it had gathered further strength and become a severe cyclonic storm over the west-central and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal.
At 2.30 am on Monday, the storm was centred about 350 kilometres east of Chennai, 400 kilometres east-southeast of Nellore, 430 kilometres southeast of Machilipatnam, 420 kilometres east-southeast of Kavali, 450 kilometres southeast of Ongole and 520 kilometres south of Visakhapatnam. It had been moving nearly northwestwards at a speed of about 20 to 25 kilometres per hour over the previous six hours.
The weather department has forecast that the storm will continue on a northwestward track before making landfall as a severe cyclonic storm. Coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh are expected to bear the brunt, with heavy to extremely heavy rainfall, strong winds and rough sea conditions. Authorities have warned people in low-lying and coastal areas to remain alert, avoid venturing outdoors unless absolutely necessary, and follow official advisories.
In Telangana, the weather department has issued an orange alert for six districts and a yellow alert for five districts for Monday, November 2. The orange alert covers Khammam, Nalgonda, Suryapet, Mahabubnagar, Nagarkurnool and Wanaparthy, while the yellow alert applies to Jangaon, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Rangareddy, Hyderabad and Medchal-Malkajgiri.
Heavy rainfall is forecast across the state between November 2 and 4, with extremely heavy rainfall possible at isolated places on November 3. The rain is a particular worry for farmers in Telangana, whose paddy and cotton crops are at various stages of cultivation and could suffer damage from waterlogging and strong winds.
Tamil Nadu is also on high alert. The Regional Meteorological Centre has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall over northern districts of the state on November 2 and 3. Chennai and Tiruvallur are among the districts under an orange alert, and heavy rain is also likely in Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Ranipet, Vellore and the Nilgiris.
Schools and colleges in Chennai and Tiruvallur were closed on Monday as a precaution, on the orders of District Collectors S. Malathi Helen and S. Kavitha. Rain had already begun to lash Chennai on Sunday night.
By 10.30 pm on Sunday, the Nungambakkam station had recorded 20.4 millimetres of rainfall, Ennore Port 39 millimetres, Madhavaram 21 millimetres, YMCA Nandanam 13.5 millimetres, Anna University 10.5 millimetres and Taramani 7.5 millimetres, while Meenambakkam recorded 4.9 millimetres.
Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner G.S. Sameeran inspected the situation across the city in the early hours of Monday, visiting the Integrated Command and Control Centre at Ripon Buildings and checking the Buckingham Canal at the Besant Nagar stretch in Triplicane. The weather office has cautioned about possible waterlogging and slippery roads in parts of Chennai and Chengalpattu, and said traffic may be affected.
In Andhra Pradesh, the state government has stepped up preparations on a war footing. Six teams of the National Disaster Response Force and seven teams of the State Disaster Response Force have been deployed in districts likely to be affected. Two teams each have been stationed in Krishna, Bapatla, Guntur, Nellore and Prakasam districts, while one team each has been deployed in Markapuram, Palnadu and Tirupati districts.
Additional teams are available for deployment if required. People can report cyclone-related problems through the Mana Mitra WhatsApp governance service on 95523 00009, or contact the Disaster Management Authority on the toll-free numbers 112, 1070 and 18004250101.
Educational institutions have been closed in several Andhra Pradesh districts. In Guntur, District Collector C.M. Saikanth Varma announced a holiday on Monday for all Anganwadi centres, schools and junior colleges under all managements, and advised people to stay away from dilapidated buildings, avoid crossing streams and rivers, refrain from fishing, and not touch wet electricity poles. Drizzle had already started in Guntur city early on Monday morning.
In Palnadu, District Collector Kritika Shukla declared a holiday for all government and private schools, colleges and Anganwadi centres. Schools and colleges were also closed in NTR, Nellore and Gudur districts.
In Bapatla district, the administration has stepped up preparedness as heavy rainfall is expected along with substantial inflows from neighbouring Guntur, Palnadu, Prakasam and Markapuram regions. District Collector Dr. Vinod Kumar V. directed officials to take all precautionary measures and urged people to remain vigilant and strictly follow safety advisories.
Officials are strengthening vulnerable stretches of drains and canals with sandbags, and water hyacinth and other obstructions near bridges and crossings are being removed with machinery to ensure the smooth flow of rainwater and prevent flooding. The Collector cautioned that the administration and residents should remain vigilant not only during the two days of heavy rainfall but also for the next four to five days.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu spoke to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay to seek assistance from the Tamil Nadu government for the restoration of power systems, as a large number of power poles were damaged due to the cyclone. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister is learnt to have responded positively to the request for manpower and machinery.
Odisha, meanwhile, is dealing with the aftermath of one storm while bracing for the effects of another. The death toll in Cyclone Arnab rose to six on Sunday, with 10 people still missing, and the state announced a special relief package for affected families. Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh P. Patil said work was underway on two fronts: relief and rescue for people affected by Arnab, and preparation for the approaching Murasu.
Power supply restoration has been accelerated in cyclone-affected areas of southern Odisha, with more than 6,400 staff deployed. In Odisha, a yellow warning for heavy rainfall has been issued for Ganjam and Gajapati districts for Monday, and Malkangiri district has announced the closure of schools and colleges from November 2 to 4.
The coming hours will be critical for the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh as Murasu approaches landfall. Officials have appealed to residents, particularly fishermen and those living in vulnerable structures, to move to safer places where advised and to keep emergency supplies ready.
With the northeast monsoon already active over the region, the additional rainfall from the cyclone could lead to localised flooding, and district administrations across the affected states say they are monitoring the situation round the clock.
(Reporting based on The Hindu and Business Standard.)