Cyclone Murasu makes landfall near Ongole and weakens as it moves inland over Andhra Pradesh

Cyclone Murasu crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast near Ongole on the morning of 3 November 2026 with winds of 110 to 120 kmph and weakened to a cyclonic storm by afternoon. Schools were shut in eight districts, and rainfall alerts extend to Telangana, Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

Landfall near Ongole

Cyclone Murasu made landfall on the Andhra Pradesh coast near Ongole in the early hours of 3 November 2026. The eye of the system crossed the coast at about 5:30 am, according to weather officials, and the strongest winds in the surrounding belt were recorded in the range of 110 to 120 kmph. By about 2:30 pm the system had weakened into a cyclonic storm and was located near Bapatla, moving inland and losing intensity as it travelled over land.

The passage of the eye is the most dangerous phase of a cyclone for coastal communities, because the wind field around it is at its strongest and the sea is at its most disturbed. Residents of the Ongole belt reported a night of rising wind followed by a brief and deceptive calm as the centre passed, then a second spell of heavy gusts from the opposite direction. That pattern is typical of a landfalling cyclone, and it is the reason officials repeatedly urge people not to leave shelters when the wind appears to drop.

Forecasters had been tracking the system for several days as it organised over the Bay of Bengal. Its eventual crossing near Ongole placed the heaviest impact on the central and southern coastal districts of the state, an area with a dense network of villages, fishing hamlets, aquaculture ponds and agricultural land. Weakening after landfall is expected, since a cyclone depends on warm ocean water for its energy, but the rain bands can remain active for many hours after the wind has eased.

Wind, rain and storm surge

The wind speed of 110 to 120 kmph places the system in the category where damage to lightly built structures, trees and utility infrastructure is likely. Sustained winds at that level can lift tin roofs, uproot large trees and bring down electricity poles, and gusts can exceed the sustained figure. The India Meteorological Department had also warned of a storm surge of 1 to 1.5 metres above the astronomical tide in low-lying parts of Bapatla, Krishna and Prakasam districts.

Rainfall has been the other major feature. Heavy to very heavy falls were reported across the central coastal region, with waterlogging in low-lying neighbourhoods of several towns. Roads were reported to be submerged in places, and traffic on some routes was diverted. Officials said that the full tally of rainfall would be compiled over the next day or two, once measurements from all stations were collected and verified.

Damage and disruption

The first assessments point to damage to trees, electricity poles and standing crops. Uprooted trees blocked roads in several areas and were cleared by teams from municipal bodies and the state disaster response force. Fallen poles and snapped lines caused power cuts in the affected districts, and utility crews were working through the day to restore supply, starting with hospitals, water pumping stations and other essential services.

Agriculture is likely to bear a significant share of the loss. The cyclone struck at a time when several crops in the region were at a vulnerable stage, and flattened paddy, damaged horticulture plots and waterlogged fields are expected to feature in the enumeration that will follow. State officials have said that crop loss estimates will be prepared by field staff once water recedes enough for them to inspect the fields, a process that normally takes several days.

For households, the disruption has been immediate. Schools were closed in eight districts as a precaution, a decision that allowed buildings to be used as relief shelters and kept children away from flooded roads. Fishermen had been advised not to venture into the sea in the days leading up to the landfall, and boats were brought ashore and secured. Rail and road services in parts of the region were curtailed or slowed, and travellers were advised to check status before setting out.

Preparedness and response

The state government set up control rooms and told district collectors to keep relief camps ready, with food, drinking water and medical supplies. People living in low-lying coastal pockets were moved to shelters in advance, which is the single most important factor in reducing loss of life in cyclones. India's record in this area has improved markedly over the past two decades, with early warning, evacuation and community awareness credited for sharply lower death tolls compared with the cyclones of the 1990s.

Citizens have also been asked to use the Mana Mitra helpline and related government channels for information and for reporting emergencies such as fallen lines, blocked roads or stranded families. Digital helplines can speed up the flow of information, but officials acknowledge that mobile networks themselves can falter in the immediate aftermath of a storm, and traditional methods such as local announcements and village-level volunteers remain essential.

A fair assessment of the response must recognise both strengths and limits. Early evacuation and closure of schools suggest that lessons from earlier storms were applied. At the same time, repeated cyclones along the eastern coast have shown that infrastructure such as power lines and fishing harbours remains exposed, and that rebuilding after each event is costly. Experts in disaster management argue that underground cabling in vulnerable areas, stronger housing for fishing communities and better mangrove cover would reduce losses over time.

Alerts beyond Andhra Pradesh

The effects of Murasu are not confined to the coast of Andhra Pradesh. As the system moves inland and weakens, its moisture is expected to bring heavy rain to neighbouring states. Rainfall alerts have been issued for Telangana, Odisha and Chhattisgarh, where authorities have been asked to watch for flooding in low-lying areas, swollen streams and disruption to road transport. Farmers have been advised to protect harvested produce and to delay field operations where heavy rain is forecast.

In Telangana, the concern is largely about heavy rainfall over a short period, which can overwhelm urban drainage in cities and cause localised flooding. In Odisha and Chhattisgarh, the risk is more closely tied to rivers and to the hilly terrain in parts of the interior, where intense rain can trigger landslips and flash floods. State disaster management authorities in each place have been asked to coordinate with the meteorological department and to keep response teams on standby.

What to watch

In the coming days, the first question will be the scale of the damage. Government teams will assess housing, roads, power infrastructure and crops, and the state is expected to send its findings to the Centre if it seeks assistance from the national disaster response fund. The speed of power restoration and the clearing of roads will be important signs of how well the response is working.

The second question is the longer-term recovery for farming and fishing communities. Crop insurance claims, compensation for damaged boats and nets, and support for households whose homes were damaged will all be tested. Past experience shows that the quality of relief often depends on how quickly enumeration is completed and how transparent the process is, and many affected families wait for weeks or months for compensation.

Finally, there is the broader climate context. Scientists have said that warming seas are making rapid intensification of cyclones more likely in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, and that sea level rise raises the baseline for storm surge. Whether or not any single storm can be linked to climate change, the pattern points to a need for sustained investment in resilience. For now, attention remains on the people in Prakasam, Bapatla, Krishna and the neighbouring districts, who are counting the cost of Murasu and waiting for the water to recede.