Severe Cyclonic Storm Murasu crossed the south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narsapur, close to Ongole, between 3:30 and 5:30 am IST on Tuesday, November 3, with wind speeds of 100–110 kmph and gusts reaching 120 kmph, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The crossing completes the landfall whose beginning Awaaz Punjab reported earlier on Tuesday, when the process commenced at 1 am IST and the storm's eye touched the coast near Ongole.

Source: Reuters via The Sen Times

The cyclone crossed the coast near latitude 15.53°N and longitude 80.22°E after moving north-northwestwards, according to the IMD. In its 2:30 am IST bulletin the department had placed the storm over the west-central Bay of Bengal about 30 km southeast of Ongole, 50 km northeast of Kavali and 100 km north-northeast of Nellore, moving north-northwestwards at about 9 kmph, and said Doppler Weather Radars at Chennai and Machilipatnam were continuously monitoring it.

Source: Hyderabad Mail, reporting the IMD

3:30–5:30 am IST, Nov 3Coastal crossing window close to Ongole, per the IMD
100–110 kmphSustained winds at crossing, gusting to 120 kmph
0Deaths or injuries reported so far, per the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority
~30,000People authorities planned to move to safety in Andhra Pradesh

No deaths or injuries have been reported so far, although some trees and electric poles were uprooted, Prakhar Jain, Managing Director of the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, told Reuters. Authorities had begun evacuating people on Monday and planned to move some 30,000 to safety in Andhra Pradesh, which lay in the cyclone's path.

Source: Reuters via The Sen Times

Murasu is the second storm to hit the region in a week. Cyclone Arnab, classified by the IMD as a very severe cyclonic storm, made landfall in Andhra Pradesh last Wednesday and killed at least six people, Reuters reported. IMD forecasts had said Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu to its south would be the worst hit by Murasu.

Source: Reuters via DevDiscourse

Heavy rain continued across the coast as the storm moved inland. Torrential rain affected Chennai, Chengalpattu and Tiruvallur districts in Tamil Nadu, with waterlogging reported in several areas of Chennai, and the IMD warned of continued heavy to very heavy rainfall in Chennai and Tiruvallur, Chennai Vision reported. Nineteen domestic flights had been cancelled at Vijayawada, Tirupati and Visakhapatnam airports on Monday as the storm approached.

Source: Chennai Vision

What happens next: Murasu is expected to weaken as it moves inland over land, while district administrations begin damage assessment and power restoration through Tuesday. Officials have cautioned that the first no-casualty picture comes from an overnight landfall and can change as reports arrive from cut-off coastal areas, and Awaaz Punjab will update this story as the IMD and the state disaster authority issue verified figures.