Severe Cyclone Murasu will cross the south Andhra Pradesh coast tonight, between Nellore and Narsapur near Ongole. Winds of 100–110 kmph, gusting to 120 kmph, heavy rain, and a storm surge of 1–1.5 metres are expected.
Updated: 2 November 2026, 10:00 IST
Quick Read
- Murasu crosses the Andhra coast between 11:30 pm tonight (Nov 2) and 4 am tomorrow (Nov 3), says the IMD bulletin.
- Winds will hit 100–110 kmph, gusting to 120 kmph, with extremely heavy rain in coastal Andhra.
- Schools are shut today in Chennai and Tiruvallur; red alerts cover five Andhra districts and orange alerts cover six Telangana districts.
What the IMD says now
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) says Murasu has grown into a severe cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal. In its early-morning bulletin, the IMD said the storm moved northwest at about 20 kmph in the six hours before 2:30 am today. At 2:30 am, Murasu sat about 260 km east-northeast of Chennai, 290 km east-southeast of Nellore, and 330 km southeast of Ongole. By 5:30 am it had moved closer — about 200 km from Chennai and 260 km southeast of Ongole. The storm is moving toward the south Andhra coast and will cross it as a severe cyclonic storm. A “severe cyclonic storm” means winds of 88–117 kmph on the IMD scale. Murasu sits near the top of that band. A “storm surge” is sea water pushed onto land by the storm’s winds. The IMD warns of a surge of 1–1.5 metres above the normal tide in low-lying parts of south coastal Andhra, with the worst impact expected in Bapatla, Guntur, Krishna and Prakasam districts.
Also read: Cyclone Arnab aftermath
The landfall window changed — read this carefully
Earlier reports said Murasu would cross the coast “on the morning of November 3.” The IMD’s latest bulletin gives a tighter window: 11:30 pm on November 2 to 4 am on November 3. That’s the window to trust now. One live blog still carries a line saying the storm will “cross the coast near Bapatla on November 3 morning.” That conflicts with the IMD’s latest timed window. The place (between Nellore and Narsapur, near Ongole) and the wind speeds agree across sources. Only the wording of the timing differs, and the IMD’s 11:30 pm–4 am window is the newest official word.
Red alerts, school holidays, teams on the ground
The IMD has issued a red alert — its highest warning level — for extremely heavy rain in five Andhra districts: Krishna, Guntur, Bapatla, Prakasam and SPSR Nellore. An orange alert, one step below red, covers very heavy rain in Rayalaseema and Telangana. Schools and colleges are closed today in Chennai and Tiruvallur in Tamil Nadu, after the Regional Meteorological Centre issued an orange alert for both districts. In Andhra Pradesh, schools and colleges are shut in NTR, Palnadu, Nellore and Gudur districts. In Odisha, Malkangiri district has closed schools and colleges from November 2 to 4. Telangana has an orange alert for six districts — Khammam, Nalgonda, Suryapet, Mahabubnagar, Nagarkurnool and Wanaparthy — and a yellow alert for Jangaon, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Rangareddy, Hyderabad and Medchal-Malkajgiri. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has sent three teams from Tamil Nadu to Andhra Pradesh ahead of landfall, DD India reports. Fishing has been stopped along the coast.
Also read: What is SIR?
Second storm in days — and what “Murasu” means
Murasu is the second cyclone to hit this coast within days, after Cyclone Arnab battered Andhra Pradesh and Odisha last week. The name “Murasu” was given by India and means “war drum” — a traditional Tamil drum. The storm grew from a low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal on November 1. It became a deep depression, then a cyclonic storm on Sunday morning, then a severe cyclonic storm by early Monday. Odisha will not take a direct hit, the IMD says, but its southern districts — Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Gajapati and Ganjam — face heavy to very heavy rain on November 3 and 4. Winds along the Odisha coast will pick up from Monday evening, reaching 50–60 kmph and gusting to 70 kmph on November 3.
Stay safe tonight
Stay indoors during the worst winds and rain. Don’t drive through flooded roads — you can’t tell how deep the water is. Keep phones charged, keep drinking water and medicines ready, and follow only official IMD and district alerts. If your area gets an evacuation order, leave early. Don’t wait for the wind to pick up.
Also read: IND vs NZ 5th T20I preview
FAQ
Q: When will Cyclone Murasu make landfall? A: Between 11:30 pm on November 2 and 4 am on November 3, between Nellore and Narsapur near Ongole, per the IMD’s latest bulletin.
Q: How strong will the winds be? A: Sustained winds of 100–110 kmph, with gusts up to 120 kmph at landfall.
Q: Which areas face the heaviest rain? A: Coastal Andhra Pradesh today and tomorrow, with extremely heavy rain at isolated places. Chennai, Tiruvallur, parts of Telangana and south Odisha also face heavy rain.
