Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the state government's preparedness for Cyclone Murasu on Monday from the Real Time Governance Society (RTGS) centre at the Secretariat in Amaravati, hours before the severe cyclonic storm's expected landfall, and said Murasu is likely to have a relatively limited impact on the Andhra Pradesh coast, with forecasts indicating lower wind speeds and rainfall intensity compared to Cyclone Arnab, The Hindu BusinessLine reported. He directed senior officials and district collectors to remain on high alert, particularly in south coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema, where moderate to heavy rainfall is expected, and stressed using the anticipated rainfall to replenish irrigation tanks and reservoirs while ensuring there is no loss of life or property.

Source: The Hindu BusinessLine

~8,000Electricity poles officials say Murasu's winds could affect in south coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema
31,000Poles already dispatched to field level from Srikakulam to Krishna district after Cyclone Arnab
1,000Personnel being brought from Chennai to assist power restoration, per officials at the review
~30 cmHighest forecast rainfall, in Palnadu district

Officials informed the review that 31,000 electricity poles had been dispatched to the field level from Srikakulam to Krishna district following Cyclone Arnab, while Murasu's winds could affect around 8,000 poles across the south coastal and Rayalaseema districts. Another 1,000 personnel are being brought from Chennai to assist with power restoration, and Naidu directed officials to deploy them in Nellore, Prakasam and other affected districts as required. Separately, the Tamil Nadu government has deployed 500 electricity department personnel in 25 teams, with equipment, to assist Andhra Pradesh in restoring power, following a request from Naidu, state Electricity Minister R Nirmal Kumar said on Monday, news agency PTI reported.

Source: PTI via The Hindu BusinessLine live updates

On rainfall, officials warned of heavy rain in several districts under Murasu's influence: Palnadu is likely to receive the highest, around 30 cm, followed by Prakasam (24 cm), Markapuram (19 cm), and Krishna, Guntur, Eluru and Nellore (9 cm each). The Chief Minister instructed officials to clear drains in advance in areas expecting heavy rainfall and to stay vigilant where streams and rivulets may overflow. With heavy rain forecast in the catchment areas of the Nagarjuna Sagar and Pulichintala projects, officials estimated inflows could range between 30 TMC and 50 TMC, according to an official release cited by BusinessLine.

Source: The Hindu BusinessLine

The update follows the storm's intensification into a severe cyclonic storm and the start of evacuations on the Andhra coast, both reported earlier by Awaaz Punjab. The India Meteorological Department (IMD), in its Monday afternoon bulletin reported by PTI, said Murasu was moving northwestwards at about 25 kmph and was very likely to cross the southern Andhra Pradesh coast as a severe cyclonic storm with wind speeds of 100-110 kmph gusting to 120 kmph, between Nellore and Narsapur close to Ongole, between 11:30 pm on Monday and 4 am on Tuesday. Heavy rain also disrupted daily life in Chennai on Monday morning, leaving roads waterlogged as the storm moved over the Bay of Bengal towards the Andhra coast, news agency IANS reported.

Source: IANS

What happens next: the landfall window opens late Monday night. District administrations in Nellore, Prakasam and the other named districts remain on high alert through the crossing, and the scale of power-restoration work — the 8,000 poles officials say are at risk — will only become clear once the storm has passed and damage assessments begin on Tuesday.