Ipsa Tripathy
Status as of Monday evening, November 2, 2026. Landfall is expected late tonight or in the early hours of Tuesday.
Bhubaneswar: Less than a week after Cyclone Arnab crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast, another storm is approaching the same stretch of shoreline. Cyclone Murasu intensified into a severe cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal on Monday and is expected to make landfall along the south Andhra coast late tonight or in the early hours of Tuesday. Its arrival comes at a difficult time for both states. In southern Odisha, families are still waiting for news of missing relatives after landslides and flooding caused by Arnab. In Andhra Pradesh, authorities are preparing for another round of disruption just as electricity and other essential services are being restored following the previous storm.
Murasu takes its name from a traditional Tamil drum. Historically, the instrument was used to communicate public announcements and important messages, including warnings. The name was contributed by India to the regional cyclone naming list. It follows Arnab in the sequence of names assigned to storms over the North Indian Ocean.
According to the India Meteorological Department’s 8:30 am bulletin on Monday, Murasu was centred over the west-central Bay of Bengal, about 160 km east-southeast of Nellore, 180 km northeast of Chennai and 210 km southeast of Ongole. It was moving west-northwestwards at approximately 22 kmph.
The IMD expects the storm to cross the south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narsapur, south of Ongole, between 11:30 pm on Monday and 4 am on Tuesday. At landfall, sustained wind speeds are forecast to reach 100 to 110 kmph, with gusts of up to 120 kmph.
Murasu is weaker than Arnab, which crossed the coast as a very severe cyclonic storm on October 28. That difference in intensity, however, does not make the approaching storm harmless. The IMD has warned that seawater could rise around 1 to 1.5 metres above the astronomical tide, potentially inundating low-lying coastal areas. Earlier warnings identified Bapatla, Guntur, Krishna and Prakasam among the districts requiring particular attention.
The system is expected to weaken after moving inland, possibly becoming a depression by Wednesday. Even as its winds lose strength, heavy rainfall could continue to cause flooding, waterlogging and disruption across parts of Andhra Pradesh.
Andhra Pradesh’s preparations are being shaped by the experience of Arnab. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu cancelled his scheduled visit to Delhi and chaired a review meeting on Monday, covering both preparations for Murasu and the ongoing restoration work after the previous cyclone. He directed officials to issue situation bulletins every four hours and asked telecom operators to take advance measures to protect mobile connectivity in vulnerable areas.
Electricity infrastructure is a major concern. Preliminary estimates presented to the state government suggest that strong winds could damage around 15,128 power poles across 12 districts. Officials have been asked to keep repair teams and equipment ready, position essential personnel in vulnerable locations and prepare clear timelines for restoring power if further damage occurs.
Heavy rainfall presents another challenge. Forecasts indicate that 20 mandals could receive extremely heavy rain, including nine in Eluru district, five each in Krishna and NTR districts, and one in Bapatla. The projected district average rainfall for November 3 is around 179 mm in Eluru and 161 mm in NTR, with substantial rainfall also expected in other coastal districts.
Water managers are particularly concerned about the expected rise in river and stream levels. An inflow of approximately 32,500 cusecs is anticipated in the Budameru on November 3. The stream has previously caused serious flooding in Vijayawada, making the latest forecast especially significant. Heavy inflows are also expected in the Errakalva, Gonelavagu, Jalleru and Pampa water systems.
Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan has identified Nellore, Prakasam, Bapatla and Krishna among the districts likely to face serious impacts. Officials have been directed to evacuate people from low-lying areas and prevent residents from approaching canals and streams. Six National Disaster Response Force teams and seven State Disaster Response Force teams are on standby, while three additional NDRF teams have been moved from Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu. Schools and colleges have been closed in NTR, Palnadu, Nellore and Gudur as a precaution.
IMD scientist S. Karuna Sagar, based in Amaravati, has warned of severe weather along the coastal districts. Apart from the threat to homes and infrastructure, the storm could damage standing crops and disrupt road and railway services.
Tamil Nadu is also experiencing the effects of Murasu, although it is not in the storm’s projected landfall path. Its outer rain bands have brought heavy showers to Chennai and surrounding areas. Parrys recorded 149.2 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 6 am on Monday, while New Manali Town received 141.6 mm. Educational institutions were closed in Chennai and Tiruvallur. Eleven flights at Chennai airport were cancelled, while flight operations at Vijayawada were also affected by adverse weather.
For Odisha, the immediate concern is that Murasu is arriving before the state has fully recovered from Arnab. The state is not expected to face a direct hit, but the IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Gajapati and Ganjam on November 3 and 4. Winds along the Odisha coast could reach 50 to 60 kmph, with gusts of up to 70 kmph.
The latest warnings come as rescue and relief operations continue in the aftermath of Arnab. By Sunday, the reported death toll in Odisha had risen to six, while ten people remained missing. Two bodies were recovered from a village affected by a landslide in the southern part of the state. Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh Patil said Arnab and the subsequent flooding had affected around 1.18 lakh people, affected 75,388 hectares of crop area and damaged 1,672 houses.
Odisha is now managing two emergencies at the same time: providing assistance to families affected by Arnab while preparing for the rainfall expected from Murasu. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced a relief package that includes ₹2,500 and 50 kg of rice for affected households, along with input subsidies for farmers whose crop losses meet the prescribed threshold. Disaster response teams have been instructed to remain deployed in their assigned locations rather than stand down. Meanwhile, an eight-member central team began a two-day visit on Monday to assess the damage caused by Arnab.
District administrations are concentrating on vulnerable roads, settlements and riverbanks. In Malkangiri, schools, colleges and anganwadi centres have been closed from November 2 to 4, with some buildings available for use as temporary shelters. In Rayagada, all 11 fire station teams have been deployed. Heavy machinery, including excavators and cranes, has been positioned near the Gumma and Mukundpur ghats along National Highway 326 so that roads can be cleared quickly if landslides occur. Residents living along the Nagabali, Bansadhara and Jhanjabati rivers have also been advised to move to safer locations.
The concern in southern Odisha is not limited to the amount of rain Murasu may bring. The hills have already received substantial rainfall during Arnab, leaving the ground saturated in several areas. Under these conditions, additional rain can increase the risk of slope failure, landslides and sudden rises in streams. Roads damaged during the previous storm may also be more vulnerable, while houses already weakened by the earlier disaster could face further damage.
This is what makes the timing of Murasu particularly difficult. A storm that is less intense than Arnab can still cause serious consequences when it arrives before communities, infrastructure and emergency services have had time to recover. Rescue teams are working under pressure, affected families are still waiting for assistance and local administrations have had little time to restore normal services.
The next 48 hours will be important for both states. Andhra Pradesh faces the immediate threat of strong winds, storm surge and intense rainfall along its coast. In Odisha, the main danger is likely to come from heavy rain, swollen rivers and landslides in the southern hills. The success of the response will depend not only on how closely Murasu follows the forecast track, but also on whether warnings reach vulnerable communities in time and emergency teams can respond to a second round of damage.