Severe Cyclonic Storm Murasu begins its landfall process close to Ongole in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh, bringing heavy rainfall and gale winds reaching up to 110 kmph and gusting to 120 kmph, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The storm is the second severe cyclone to hit the state in about a week.
According to the IMD, the landfall process commences in the early hours, with the forward sector of the wall cloud entering the coast while the wall cloud region itself sits very close to the shoreline. At the time of the early bulletin, the cyclone is centred over the west-central Bay of Bengal, close to the south Andhra Pradesh coast, about 40 km southeast of Ongole, 60 km northeast of Kavali and 70 km south of Bapatla.
Winds, rain and surge on the coast
The IMD expects the landfall point between Nellore and Narsapur, close to Ongole, with gale-force winds of nearly 110 kmph, gusting to 120 kmph, until morning. Heavy rainfall is likely across south coastal Andhra Pradesh during the following 12 hours, with red alerts in Prakasam, Bapatla and Krishna districts.
A storm surge of 1 to 1.5 metres above the astronomical tide is likely to inundate low-lying areas, with the maximum surge expected over Bapatla, Krishna and Prakasam districts, the IMD adds. Residents are asked to stay indoors, people in huts near the coast to move to safer places, and fishermen to stay off the sea until official advisories are lifted.
Evacuations and the response on the ground
Authorities move thousands of people away from vulnerable shoreline communities ahead of landfall, with about 2,000 people evacuated at an early stage and plans to move roughly 30,000 people to safety, according to reports citing the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority. Early reports provide no confirmed casualty or damage total for Murasu, a figure that will only become clear once the storm has passed and teams can assess affected areas.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directs officials to remain on high alert and ensure no loss of life, reflecting a lesson from successive cyclones: early evacuation saves more lives than post-storm relief.
What comes after landfall
Once the eye has crossed the coast, heavy rain continues inland and low-lying areas remain at risk of flooding, so residents are urged to follow official updates, avoid flooded roads, and not return to vulnerable coastal homes until authorities say it is safe. National support continues alongside disaster response: the latest PM-KISAN instalment reaches more than 9.34 crore farmer families, while GST collections provide the fiscal backdrop for central and state spending.
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