Cyclone Murasu nears Andhra coast as officials place districts on high alert

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Cyclone Murasu is approaching the Andhra Pradesh coast, prompting state officials to raise alerts and emergency teams to prepare for heavy rain and possible rescue work. The India Meteorological Department has warned of extremely heavy rainfall in Nellore, Prakasam, Markapuram, Bapatla and Krishna districts.

Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan directed officials to remain on high alert at a review meeting on Monday with senior staff from the Panchayat Raj and Rural Development and Rural Water Supply departments. He stressed that people living in low-lying areas should be moved to safer locations in view of the rainfall forecast.

The preparations come as the state is still dealing with damage from Cyclone Arnab, which struck Andhra Pradesh less than a week earlier. Murasu is the second cyclone of the 2026 North Indian Ocean season, after forming over the Bay of Bengal on November 1. It developed from a low-pressure area over the Andaman Sea on October 29.

The National Disaster Response Force has deployed 14 teams across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The teams are positioned to coordinate with local officials and undertake emergency response and rescue operations as conditions develop.

Three teams from the NDRF’s 4th Battalion, based at Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu, have been sent to assist. Other teams have been positioned at locations from the 10th Battalion headquarters at Kondapavuluru in Krishna district. Commandant V.V.N. Prasanna Kumar said deputy and assistant commandants had been instructed to monitor alerts.

The immediate focus is on districts named in the rain warning and on communities in low-lying areas. Murasu is threatening South India’s eastern coast and moving toward southern Coastal Andhra, but the available updates do not give a landfall time or specify which coastal locations may be affected most.

The India Meteorological Department has also indicated that Murasu is unlikely to affect West Bengal, and there is no cyclone warning for the state. For Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the next steps are continued monitoring, local coordination and readiness to move residents if the rainfall threat requires it.

Reporting

• Cyclone Murasu to make landfall near at Andhra coast tonight; 120 kmph winds expectedThe Times of India
• Chittoor, Annamayya districts brace for Cyclone MurasuThe Hindu
• Pawan Kalyan directs high alert as Cyclone Murasu nears Nellore coastThe Hindu
• No cyclone warning for Bengal amid Cyclone Murasu threat to Andhra PradeshTelegraph India
• NDRF deploys 14 teams in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana to tackle Cyclone MurasuThe Hindu
• School holiday November 3: Will schools remain closed tomorrow? Check latest updates for Andhra Pradesh, TThe Economic Times