Rain begins in North Andhra ahead of Cyclone Murasu

Rough waves lash the Palepalem coast near Kothapatnam in Prakasam district on Monday ahead of the expected landfall of Cyclone Murasu near Ongole. | Photo credit: Kommuri Srinivas

The first rain from Cyclone Murasu fell in northern coastal Andhra Pradesh, far from where the storm is headed. The central and southern coastal areas, which are on red alert, have yet to see any major rainfall on Monday (November 2, 2026).

Kakinada (Rural) mandal recorded the most rainfall between 8.30 am and noon, 51.75 mm at MRO office gauge, according to real-time data from the Andhra Pradesh Directorate of Economics and Statistics (APDES). Kakinada, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts received the most rain. Visakhapatnam’s highest was 12.5 mm at Gambheeram in Anandapuram mandal. Ongole in Prakasam district, where landfall is likely to occur, did not record any rain as of 10:00 am. Rayalaseema districts remained dry.

In the 24 hours till 8.30 am on Monday, Bhogapuram in Vizianagaram district recorded the highest rainfall in the state at 102.49 mm on the KVBR school gauge.

Meanwhile, a severe cyclonic storm over west-central and southwest Bay of Bengal is moving west-northwest at 22 kmph towards the AP coast. At 8:30 am on Monday, the storm was located about 160 km east-southeast of Nellore, 180 km northeast of Chennai, 180 km east-southeast of Kavali, 210 km southeast of Ongole and 240 km south of Machilipatnam.

Weather experts said the system was moving quickly in the morning but may slow down near the coast. According to the India Meteorological Department, landfall is likely to occur between 11.30pm on Monday and 4am on Tuesday.

Weather models point to Ongole as the likely landing point, although it could be anywhere between Narsapur and Nellore, AP state disaster management officials said.

How much damage the storm causes will depend on its strength on land where it crosses and the type of infrastructure there, officials said.

Published – 02 Nov 2026 13:41 IST