Severe Cyclonic Storm Murasu crossed the south Andhra Pradesh coast near Ongole in the early hours of Tuesday, bringing strong winds of 100–110 kmph, gusting up to 120 kmph, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
In a post on X, the IMD said the cyclone moved north-northwestwards and crossed the coast between Nellore and Narsapur, close to Ongole, between 3:30 am and 5:30 am IST.
“The Severe Cyclonic Storm MURASU moved north-northwestwards and crossed the south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narsapur, close to Ongole (near Latitude 15.53°N and Longitude 80.22°E) during 0330 to 0530 hours IST of today, with wind speed of 100-110 kmph gusting to 120 kmph,” the IMD said.
According to a November 3 advisory issued by the Real Time Governance Society (RTGS) and the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA), the cyclone had moved at a speed of 9 kmph during the preceding six hours.
The advisory, issued during the landfall process, said the cyclone was centred about 20 km from Ongole, 60 km from Bapatla, 70 km from Kavali, 110 km from Nellore and 130 km from Machilipatnam.
At the time, authorities had estimated that the landfall process would take another two hours to complete, with wind speeds ranging between 100 and 120 kmph.
Heavy rainfall is expected across several districts of Andhra Pradesh following the cyclone’s passage.
Prakhar Jain, Managing Director of the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) and CEO of RTGS, said isolated heavy rainfall was likely in West Godavari, Eluru, Krishna, NTR and Guntur districts.
Similar conditions were forecast for Bapatla, Palnadu, Markapuram, Prakasam and Nellore districts.
State disaster management authorities have urged residents in affected areas to remain vigilant and follow official advisories as strong winds and heavy rainfall could continue during and after the cyclone’s passage.
(IANS Inputs)
