Cyclone Murasu: IMD puts landfall close to Ongole, from 11.30 pm on 2 November to 4 am on 3 November

Cyclone Murasu, now a severe cyclonic storm, is closing in on the south Andhra Pradesh coast. The India Meteorological Department’s 14th national bulletin, issued at 2.30 pm on Monday, 2 November, says it is very likely to cross between Nellore and Narsapur, to the south of Ongole, from 11.30 pm on Monday until 4 am on Tuesday, 3 November, with winds of 100-110 kmph that may gust to 120 kmph.

At 11.30 am on Monday, Murasu was about 120 km east-southeast of Nellore, 140 km east-southeast of Kavali, 180 km southeast of Ongole and 170 km northeast of Chennai, moving west-northwest at 14 kmph. At 11.30 pm on Sunday it had been about 400 km southeast of Ongole. Doppler radars at Chennai, Machilipatnam and Visakhapatnam are tracking it. Once it crosses, the IMD expects it to weaken to a cyclonic storm by 5.30 am on Tuesday and to a deep depression by Tuesday night. Until Sunday morning the forecast had offered only the Nellore-Narsapur stretch and a crossing on 3 November morning. More than 20 flights at the Chennai, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam airports were cancelled or disrupted on Monday.

Surge and a red alert

As it crosses, the sea could rise 1 to 1.5 metres above the normal tide and push into low-lying parts of south coastal Andhra Pradesh, most of all in Bapatla, and in Krishna and Prakasam districts. Those three, along with Guntur and Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore, are on red alert for Monday, with extremely heavy rain possible in isolated spots. Fishermen have been told to keep their boats ashore along the Andhra Pradesh coastline from Monday morning until Wednesday afternoon, 4 November, and the IMD wants families in coastal huts shifted to safer ground.

Six teams from the NDRF and seven from the SDRF are in position, control rooms are open, and officials have been told to move people out of vulnerable places. The emergency numbers are 112 and 1070; in Nellore, the collectorate’s control room takes calls on 0861-2331261 and 79955 76699. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu went over the arrangements on Sunday and called off a trip to Delhi set for Monday. By officials’ first estimate, the wind could damage 12,102 to 15,128 power poles in 12 districts. The Health Department has readied 116 relief camps and 1,688 teams of medical staff. Municipal votes in the state are due to be counted on Tuesday.

Telangana

IMD Hyderabad has forecast heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places in Khammam, Nalgonda, Suryapet, Mahabubnagar, Nagarkurnool and Wanaparthy in the 24 hours from 8.30 am on Monday. In the 24 hours after that, Khammam, Suryapet and Mahabubabad could see extremely heavy falls at isolated places, and Bhadradri Kothagudem, Warangal and Hanamkonda heavy to very heavy rain. The IMD expects squalls of 70-80 kmph, gusting to 90 kmph, from the early hours to the afternoon of Tuesday in ten Telangana districts, Khammam, Suryapet and Warangal among them. Nagarkurnool district’s helpline is 08540-230201.