Cyclone Murasu To Make Landfall Tonight: Over 1.6 Lakh Evacuated In Odisha, Flights Cancelled, Rain Alerts Issued | Updates

Cyclone Murasu: India's eastern coastline is on high alert as severe cyclonic storm 'Murasu' (meaning war drum) is approaching the south Andhra Pradesh coast. Coming just days after Cyclone Arnab, Murasu is expected to make landfall between Nellore and Narasapur (to the south of Ongole) between late Monday night (11:30 PM) and early Tuesday morning (4:00 AM) on November 3, with wind speeds of 100-110 kmph, gusting up to 120 kmph.

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Current Position And Movement

According to the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) 8:15 PM bulletin, the cyclone was moving at 12 kmph over the west-central Bay of Bengal, centred about 80 km east to northeast of Nellore, 80 km east to southeast of Kavali, 110 km southeast of Ongole, 140 km south of Bapatla, 170 km south to southeast of Machilipatnam, 170 km northeast of Tirupati, and 190 km north to northeast of Nungambakkam in Chennai.

The system is expected to maintain its course toward the Andhra coastline, bringing a storm surge of 1.5 to 2 metres above astronomical tides that threatens to inundate low-lying coastal areas.

Andhra Pradesh Rainfall Alert

Light to moderate showers began lashing coastal districts on Monday evening, with Kakinada logging 30.4 mm, Tirupati 12.4 mm, Kavali 8.7 mm, and Bapatla 6.8 mm.

• Monday Night (November 2): Extremely heavy rainfall expected at isolated places in Bapatla, Prakasam, Nellore, Chittoor, and Tirupati districts.
• Tuesday (November 3): Extremely heavy rain forecast for Palnadu, Tirupati, and Nandyal. Heavy to very heavy rain will lash Eluru, NTR, Krishna, Guntur, Bapatla, Prakasam, Nellore, Chittoor, Annamayya, Kadapa, and Kurnool.
• November 4- 5: Intensity will gradually decrease across Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, and Rayalaseema. However, heavy rain will persist in parts of Palnadu, Prakasam, Kurnool, and Nandyal on November 4.

Flight Cancellations Across Andhra Pradesh

The storm forced the cancellation of at least 19 domestic flights across Andhra Pradesh on Monday:

• Vijayawada Airport: 12 flights cancelled (10 IndiGo, two Air India Express)
• Visakhapatnam Airport: Three flights cancelled
• Tirupati Airport: Two flights cancelled
• Chennai Airport: Several flights cancelled; passengers are advised to verify flight status directly with airlines.

Emergency Response

Neighbouring state governments have stepped in to coordinate relief and infrastructure support:

• Tamil Nadu: Sent three NDRF teams (90 personnel) and 25 power department teams (500 personnel) with essential equipment to Andhra Pradesh.
• Karnataka: Deployed 500 skilled power technicians to assist in restoring damaged power infrastructure post-landfall.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has instructed district officials across South Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema to remain on high alert. He, however, hoped the cyclone's impact would be limited as forecasts indicated that wind speeds and rainfall intensity were expected to be lower compared to Cyclone Arnab.

Massive Evacuations And High Alert In Odisha

The Odisha government on Monday moved over 1.60 lakh people to safety, including 1.50 lakh in Ganjam district alone, with plans to evacuate a total of 3.33 lakh people to 1,139 prepared shelters. Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari highlighted eight high-risk districts, INCLUDING Ganjam, Gajapati, Koraput, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, and Puri.

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• Landslide Risks: Nearly 150 landslide-prone areas have been identified in Gajapati district due to continuous rainfall over the past week, with active evacuations underway.
• School Closures: Educational institutes and Anganwadi centres across affected southern districts will remain closed on Tuesday, while schools in Malkangiri and Kandhamal will stay closed on Wednesday as well.
• Disaster Mobilisation: Over 300 rescue teams from the NDRF, ODRAF, and Odisha Fire Service are deployed on the ground. Nodal officers have been deployed in every village to coordinate emergency response.

State Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Rajesh P Patil said that while rain-free conditions over the past three days allowed power restoration across most Arnab-affected areas, fresh rainfall from Murasu is gradually increasing across coastal and southern Odisha.

Impact Across Tamil Nadu

Heavy downpours inundated parts of Chennai, Chengalpattu, and Tiruvallur on Sunday. Consequently, authorities declared a holiday for schools in Chennai on Monday. Heavy to very heavy rainfall alerts are in place for Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram, Ranipet, Vellore, and Nilgiris.

In Odisha, southern districts including Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput, and Malkangiri are on high alert. Schools and colleges have been closed till November 3, and over 300 disaster response teams (NDRF, ODRAF, and Odisha Fire Service) have been deployed.

Cyclone Murasu - A Concern For Farmers

The fresh cyclone has compounded anxieties for local farmers. Cyclone Arnab had already affected 1.18 lakh people and damaged nearly 90,000 hectares of standing crops in Odisha. Farmers in Ganjam district warned that fresh flooding will cause standing paddy roots to rot, leading to total crop destruction.

Meanwhile, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced a special relief package for the people affected by Cyclone Arnab and said it would be reviewed upon assessing the damage after Murasu passes.

(With Inputs From Agencies)