Cyclone Murasu Tracker: Red Alert Issued As Storm Nears Andhra Coast; Schools, Colleges Shut In Chennai, Tiruvallur

Cyclone Murasu: A deep depression over the southwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal has intensified into Cyclonic Storm "Murasu". Just days after Andhra Pradesh was battered by Cyclone Arnab, high-speed winds are expected to hit parts of the coastal state by November 3. Amid the severe weather, red and orange alerts have been issued across several regions.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that the storm is located 300 km east of Chennai and is likely to make landfall near Ongole by early November 3. In an update shared on X around 2:00 am on November 2, the IMD noted that the depression moved west-northwestward at 23 km/h over the preceding six hours. Schools and colleges across affected areas are expected to remain closed as safety precautions are taken.

Red and Orange Alerts in Several Places

As Cyclone Murasu is heading towards the Andhra Coast, the IMD has issued a red alert in several districts including, Krishna, Guntur, Bapatla, Prakasam, and Nellore. An orange alert has been issued for East Godavari, West Godavari, Eluru, NTR, Palnadu, Tirupati, and Chittoor on Tuesday.

For November 3, a red alert has been issued for Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR), Eluru, and NTR. An orange alert has been issued for Chittoor, Annamayya, Tirupati, Nellore, Prakasam, Palnadu, and Vizianagaram.

Murasu Intensifies Into Severe Cyclonic Storm

The Cyclonic Storm “Murasu” [Pronunciation: Murasu]” over Westcentral & adjoining Southwest Bay of Bengal moved nearly northwestwards with speed of 20 kmph during past 06 hours, intensified into severe cyclonic storm and lay centered at 0230 hours IST of today, the 02nd November, 2026 over the same region near Latitude 13.6°N and Longitude 82.5°E, about 260 km east-northeast of Chennai (Tamil Nadu), 290 km east-southeast of Nellore (Andhra Pradesh), 320 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam (Andhra Pradesh), 310 km east-southeast of Kavali (Andhra Pradesh), 330 km southeast of Ongole (Andhra Pradesh) and 470 km south of Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh). It is very likely to continue to move northwestwards and cross south Andhra Pradesh coast as a Severe Cyclonic Storm with wind speed of 100 to 110 kmph gusting 120 kmph between Nellore and Narsapur close to Ongole during midnight (2330 Hrs IST) of 2nd to early hours (0400 Hrs IST) of 3rd November, 2026.

— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) November 2, 2026

In the X post, the IMD said, "Murasu", the west-central and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal, moved northwestwards at a speed of 20 kmph over the past six hours and intensified into a severe cyclonic storm. At 2.30 am on November 2, 2026, it was centred near latitude 13.6 N and longitude 82.5°E—approximately 260 km east-northeast of Chenna.

The cyclonic storm is likely to move northwestwards and make landfall along the south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narsapur, close to Ongole, between 23:30 IST on November 2 and 04:00 IST on November 3, 2026. The storm will carry sustained wind speeds of 100 to 110 kmph, with gusts up to 120 kmph.

🛑మరికాసేపట్లో తీవ్ర తుపాన్ గా బలపడనున్న మురసు తుపాను గ‌డ‌చిన 6 గంట‌ల్లో గంట‌కు 23కిలోమీట‌ర్ల వేగంతో క‌దులుతోంది ప్ర‌స్తుతం చెన్నైకి 300 కిమీ, నెల్లూరుకు 350 కిమీ, మ‌చిలీప‌ట్నానికి 380 కిమీ, కావలికి 370కిమీ, ఒంగోలుకి 400కిమీ, విశాఖ‌కు 490కిమీ దూరంలో కేంద్రీకృతం https://t.co/Lb0nGWOR68

— Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (@APSDMA) November 1, 2026

At around 4.30 am on Tuesday, the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) said that cyclone Murasu is expected to develop into a severe storm soon. It added that the storm is moving at a speed of 23 kmph. It is now about 300 km from Chennai, 350 km from Nellore, 380 km from Machilipatnam, 370 km from Kavali, 400 km from Ongole and 490 km from Visakhapatnam.

Schools And Colleges To Remain Shut On Monday

Chennai District Collector S Malathi Helen and Tiruvallur District Collector S Kavitha announced a holiday for schools and colleges on Monday. The announcement was made on Sunday night, the Hindu reported.