Cyclone Murasu made landfall near Ongole in Andhra Pradesh’s Prakasam district on November 3, bringing strong winds and heavy rain to the state’s southern coast. The storm damaged trees, electricity poles and crops, while schools and colleges were closed in at least eight districts as a precaution.
The India Meteorological Department said the storm crossed the coast during the early morning, with sustained winds of 100–110 kilometers per hour and gusts reaching 120 kilometers per hour. It was moving north-northwest over the west-central Bay of Bengal, close to the south Andhra Pradesh coast.
Rainfall was expected to remain heavy in parts of south coastal Andhra Pradesh during the following 12 hours, according to the India Meteorological Department. The agency forecast that Murasu would weaken into a cyclonic storm by midday and then into a deep depression by midnight.
Damage reports remain preliminary
Early accounts described fallen trees and damage to power infrastructure and crops in coastal areas. A midday assessment reported 71 trees down and 112 electricity poles damaged, but damage figures varied between reports and had not established a final statewide total.
Heavy rain also caused localized flooding. The storm’s effects prompted precautionary closures in at least eight districts, although the available reports did not provide a complete list of affected schools or a final assessment of losses.
Associated Press also reported heavy rainfall in Andhra Pradesh after the cyclone’s landfall. The Associated Press account cited the Indian Meteorological Department’s assessment of the storm.
Reid Bentley