Cyclone Murasu nears Andhra coast as rain alerts widen

Cyclone Murasu was approaching the south Andhra Pradesh coast on November 2, with the India Meteorological Department forecasting severe winds and heavy rain across coastal Andhra Pradesh and parts of northern Tamil Nadu. The storm’s landfall and resulting impacts had not been confirmed in the reports available that day. The IMD forecast that Murasu would cross the coast between Nellore and Narsapur, near Ongole, around midnight November 2 or in the early hours of November 3. It predicted sustained winds of 100 to 110 km/h, with gusts reaching 120 km/h. The forecast timing varied slightly among bulletins, but placed the expected crossing overnight into November 3. Andhra Pradesh authorities issued alerts in five districts: Bapatla, Palnadu, Markapuram, SPSR Nellore and Prakasam. The IMD warned of very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in the districts. It also issued a red alert for Palnadu, Tirupati and Nandyal and an orange alert for 12 districts, according to the state report. In Tamil Nadu, the Regional Meteorological Centre in Chennai warned that Chennai and Tiruvallur could receive heavy to very heavy rain during the 24 hours after its November 2 warning. The IMD...