Bhubaneswar: Severe Cyclonic Storm Murasu made landfall on the south Andhra Pradesh coast in the early hours of Tuesday.
Moving north-northwestwards over the Westcentral Bay of Bengal at a speed of 8 kmph over six hours, the storm crossed the coastline between Nellore and Narasapur, passing close to Ongole between 3:30 am and 5:30 am. At landfall, the cyclone packed sustained winds of 100 to 110 kmph, with gusts reaching up to 120 kmph.
The eye of the severe cyclone, which was visible on the Machilipatnam radar after crossing landfall, is now fully concentrated over the land area.
According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), the system will maintain its north-northwestward trajectory, gradually weakening into a cyclonic storm with wind speeds of 80 to 90 kmph gusting to 100 kmph by noon, before degrading further into a deep depression with speeds of 55 to 65 kmph by midnight.
Heavy rainfall and strong gale winds have already lashed areas such as Kothapatnam Beach, Bapatla, Chirala, and Guntur, causing uprooted trees, rough seas, and widespread localised disruptions.
Although Odisha lies largely outside the projected core track of the storm, southern regions of the state are on high alert for widespread rains over the next two days, The IMD had earlier forecast heavy downpours on Tuesday across Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Gajapati, and Ganjam, with isolated heavy spells persisting in Koraput and Malkangiri on Wednesday. Thunderstorm, lightning & gusty winds (40-50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph) is likely
in the state on November 3-4. Coastal and off-shore south Odisha are expected to witness squally winds reaching 50 to 60 kmph, gusting up to 70 kmph, creating rough to very rough sea conditions.
The weather agency also cautioned that these rains can trigger landslides in hilly terrain and cause damage to vulnerable structures such as asbestos and kutcha homes.
The fresh weather threat comes as Odisha is still reeling from severe floods and landslides brought by Cyclone Arnab, which made landfall in Andhra Pradesh on October 28. In response, the state government launched extensive preemptive operations, evacuating people across high-risk districts including Ganjam, Gajapati, Koraput, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, and Puri. In Ganjam alone, more than 1.51 lakh people have already been evacuated against a target of nearly 2.94 lakh, with shelters prepared to accommodate over 3.41 lakh people. Thousands more were shifted from vulnerable and landslide-prone areas in Kandhamal and Koraput, while Gajapati readied shelters for around 35,000.
Precautionary administrative measures remain active across multiple districts. All Anganwadi centres in Rayagada are closed through Wednesday. Schools in Ganjam and Malkangiri suspended operations on Tuesday, while Kandhamal halted classes up to Grade XII for both Tuesday and Wednesday. Emergency response forces, including the NDRF, ODRAF, and fire services, remain deployed across vulnerable regions.
