The Andhra Pradesh government sounded an alert in five districts – Bapatla, Palnadu, Markapuram, SPSR Nellore, and Prakasam – as the severe cyclonic storm, Murasu, stayed on course to make landfall between Ongole and Nellore on the intervening night of November 2-3.
The storm is expected to bring very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall to these districts, which reported a rain deficit during the monsoon.
Keep track | Cyclone Murasu Live updates: Cyclone Murasu landfall expected between Nellore and Narsapur in Andhra Pradesh tonight
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the storm is likely to move with a “wind speed of 100 to 110 kmph (and) gusting up to 120 kmph between Nellore and Narasapur”.
In the wake of Marasu, heavy rain fell in the northern districts of Tamil Nadu bordering Andhra Pradesh from Sunday evening, and some parts of north Chennai reported waterlogging.
In Odisha, where rain triggered by Cyclone Arnab caused widespread damage last week, the government evacuated 1.6 lakh people across Ganjam, Gajapati, Malkangiri, Koraput, and Kandhamal districts.
The IMD said the storm was located about 80 km east-northeast of Nellore, 80 km east-southeast of Kavali, 110 km southeast of Ongole, 140 km south of Bapatla, 170 km south-southwest of Machilipatnam, 170 km northeast of Tirupati, and 190 km north-northeast of Nungambakkam in Chennai.
The system is moving towards the coast at 12 kmph, and gales of 70-90 kmph, gusting to 100 kmph, have been reported along the Andhra Pradesh coast. A storm surge is expected in coastal areas to the north of the landfall point, the IMD said.
IMD, Amaravati, issued a red alert for Palnadu, Tirupati, and Nandyal districts on Tuesday, and an orange alert is in place for 12 districts.
In Chennai, as the cyclone’s outer bands brushed Tamil Nadu’s northern coast, the Regional Meteorological Centre upgraded weather alerts for northern districts such as Chennai and Tiruvallur on Monday (November 2, 2026). It warned of squally winds, gusting up to 75 kmph, in various northern districts, including Chennai and Kancheepuram till Tuesday (November 3) morning.
Even as the system moved closer to the coast, there was no major rainfall activity in the central, south-coastal, and Rayalaseema regions until 7:00 p.m. on Monday (November 2). However, northern Andhra, where no alerts were sounded, recorded light to moderate showers.
The impact of Murasu is expected to be less severe than that of Arnab, a very severe cyclonic storm, and the State is focusing on efficient water management.
With 8,000 electricity poles likely to be affected, 31,000 electricity poles have been dispatched from Srikakulam to Krishna district. In addition, 1,000 personnel are expected to reach from Chennai to assist in power restoration works.
The National Disaster Response Force’s 10th Battalion has deployed 14 teams across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to coordinate with local officials and undertake emergency response and rescue operations.
(With inputs from Satyasundar Barik in Bhubaneswar and K. Lakshmi in Chennai)
Published – November 02, 2026 10:18 pm IST
