Severe Cyclonic Storm Murasu is expected to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narsapur, close to Ongole, in the early hours of Tuesday, November 3. Winds of 100 to 110 kmph are forecast, gusting to 120 kmph. The India Meteorological Department confirmed the storm has already intensified and is still moving towards the state.

The IMD said the system lay centred at 2.30 a.m. IST on November 2 over the west-central and adjoining south-west Bay of Bengal. At that time it was about 260 km east-northeast of Chennai in Tamil Nadu and 290 km east-southeast of Nellore. It was also 320 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam, 310 km east-southeast of Kavali, 330 km southeast of Ongole and 470 km south of Vishakhapatnam.

Authorities are not treating this as a distant threat. The storm moved nearly north-westwards at about 20 kmph over the past six hours, and the bulletin says it is very likely to keep that track and make landfall as a severe cyclonic storm. The window is tight: midnight on November 2 to the early hours of November 3.

Rain will hit well beyond the coastline. The Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, known as APSDMA, has told people to remain alert. Prakhar Jain, Managing Director and CEO of the Real Time Governance Society, said the rain threat covers much of the state over two days.

Heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected in the South Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions on Monday and Tuesday.

Jain said heavy to very heavy rain is likely in isolated areas of Krishna, Guntur, Bapatla, Prakasam, Markapuram and Nellore on Monday. Extremely heavy rain is expected in one or two locations. Very heavy rain is likely in some areas of Eluru, East Godavari, West Godavari, NTR, Palnadu, Tirupati and Chittoor.

Heavy rain is also forecast for parts of Alluri, Polavaram, Kakinada and Konaseema. Some areas of Nandyal, YSR Kadapa and Annamayya are on the list too. If you live in any of these districts, the warning applies to you, and it is time to check local updates from officials.

The bigger fear is the power grid. Officials are preparing for heavy damage to electricity infrastructure, especially electric poles uprooted in areas in the storm’s path. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu spoke on Sunday to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay and Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. He asked both to send personnel and machinery to Andhra Pradesh for restoration work.

According to an official release issued late Sunday night, both Chief Ministers responded positively and promised all possible help. Naidu said Andhra Pradesh officials would coordinate with their counterparts in both states to make that support happen.

Telangana is already in the field. Personnel from Telangana are working on the ground to restore electricity infrastructure damaged by Cyclone Arnab. That matters for Telangana readers too, because the same crews and supply chains could be pulled into the Murasu response. The storm’s impact on Andhra Pradesh is also a test of how fast neighbouring states can move when the lights go out.

Andhra Pradesh has also kept electricity department staff who finished restoration work in Cyclone Arnab-affected areas on standby. They are ready to deploy wherever Murasu causes damage.

Rescue teams are in place. Six teams of the National Disaster Response Force and seven teams of the State Disaster Response Force have been sent ahead for relief and rescue operations. They are positioned before the storm hits, not after the damage is counted.

The coming hours will decide how severe the impact becomes. The storm is expected to cross the coast overnight into Tuesday, the rain is forecast to continue through Monday and Tuesday, and power restoration will depend on how many poles and lines go down. Residents in the coastal and Rayalaseema districts named in the bulletin should follow official updates closely and stay alert until the storm has passed.