Cyclone Murasu makes landfall near Ongole, bringing heavy rain to coastal Andhra

Trains and flights were disrupted, and red and orange rain alerts were issued across several Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu districts.

By idly intel

3 Nov, 12:06 IST2 min read

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Written by idly intel with AI help from several outlets' reporting, and checked before it goes live. How idly works

Cyclone Murasu makes landfall near Ongole, bringing heavy rain to coastal Andhra — Image: Scroll.in

Key facts

Story

Cyclone Murasu made landfall near Ongole in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, 3 November
Winds of 100 to 110 kmph were recorded, gusting to 120 kmph; the damage extent was not yet clear
At least 12 trains and seven flights at Vijayawada were cancelled on Tuesday

Cyclone Murasu hit the coast of Andhra Pradesh near Ongole on Tuesday, bringing heavy rain to the region. The severe cyclonic storm carried winds of 100 to 110 kmph, with gusts reaching 120 kmph.

The India Meteorological Department has put red alerts for heavy rain in Prakasam, Krishna, Bapatla, Guntur, NTR and Palnadu districts. Orange alerts cover Tirupati, Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore, Nandyal, Eluru, East Godavari and West Godavari. The department has also issued orange alerts for heavy rain in Chennai, Chengalpattu and Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu. A red alert asks authorities to act on an extreme weather event, while an orange alert asks them to stay ready to act.

The Andhra Pradesh Police posted photos showing several trees uprooted in Bapatla district. The full extent of the damage was not immediately clear.

Transport disrupted

The railways said that twelve trains serving the Vijayawada division were called off on Tuesday. Four more were diverted and one was rescheduled. The airport operator reported that seven flights arriving at or departing from Vijayawada had been scrapped.

Earlier, on Monday, the storm had already brought rain to Andhra Pradesh, and Chennai airport had cancelled 11 flights as the storm approached.

What comes next

The cyclone was forecast to keep moving north-northwest and weaken into a cyclonic storm, with gusts of up to 100 kmph expected by noon. Officials have not said how many people were affected or how much crop and property was lost. For travellers in Chennai, Vijayawada and nearby cities, checking train and flight status before leaving is advisable while the alerts remain in place.