Severe Cyclonic Storm Murasu began making landfall near Ongole in Andhra Pradesh at 1 a.m. on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, with maximum sustained winds of 110 to 120 kmph at the landfall point. The India Meteorological Department confirmed the process had commenced, and the crossing was expected to take about two more hours by the 5.30 a.m. update.

The storm is pushing hard into the coast. The inner spiral band in the northern sector has moved into South Coastal Andhra Pradesh, and the wall cloud region is very close to the shoreline, the IMD said in its 2.10 a.m. release. Forecasters are not treating this as a distant threat. It is hitting now.

Prakhar Jain, SDMA Managing Director and RTGS CEO, urged people to remain highly alert.

Houses collapse and families stranded in Ongole

Several thatched houses collapsed at Samatha Nagar in Ongole, Prakasam district, after heavy rains and strong winds triggered by the cyclone. Residents were left stranded inside the wreckage of their homes and the surrounding waterlogged lanes. The district administration has started rescue operations to evacuate them.

The damage is spreading beyond Ongole. Several houses were inundated in Beeramgunta village of Kothapatnam mandal, also in Prakasam district. On Kothapatnam Beach Road in Ongole, pushcarts and shop nameboards were blown across the street by the wind, according to photographs from the scene.

Even official buildings were hit. The statue of Andhra Kesari Tanguturi Prakasam Panthulu at Prakasam Bhavan, inside the Prakasam district Collectorate premises, collapsed early Tuesday after a large tree fell on it during the storm.

Storm surge warning for coastal Andhra

The IMD has warned that a storm surge may inundate low-lying areas of South Coastal Andhra Pradesh. The maximum peak surge is expected over Bapatla, and also over Krishna and Prakasam districts. The agency has also forecast heavy spells of rainfall across South Coastal Andhra Pradesh over the next 12 hours.

The position at the 5.30 a.m. update was sobering. Cyclone Murasu was centred 20 km from Ongole, 60 km from Bapatla, 70 km from Kavali, 110 km from Nellore and 130 km from Machilipatnam. It had been moving at 9 kmph over the past six hours, which means it is lingering over the coast rather than sweeping past it.

Chief Minister orders people off the roads

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu held a teleconference review with district Collectors and officials at 3.30 a.m., after the storm made landfall. He directed officials to ensure that people in cyclone-affected areas did not venture onto roads, and to take every necessary precaution to prevent loss of life and minimise property damage.

He also asked about the condition of electricity poles and substations. Energy department officials told him that no electricity poles had fallen and there were no disruptions to power supply anywhere. For residents in the worst-hit zones, that is the one piece of news that changes the night.

Heavy rain across a dozen districts

Several districts are forecast to receive heavy rainfall today. These include West Godavari, Eluru, Krishna, NTR, Guntur, Bapatla, Palnadu, Markapuram, Prakasam and Nellore. The forecast covers a wide belt of the state, not just the coastline where the storm is making landfall.

In Eluru, District Collector K. Vetri Selvi declared a holiday for all schools, colleges and Anganwadi Centres on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The order came as incessant rains continued and a flash flood warning was issued due to Cyclone Murasu. Parents across the district are now keeping children indoors while the rain runs.

Why Andhra Pradesh is carrying the burden

This is an Andhra Pradesh story from start to finish. The landfall, the collapsed houses, the stranded families, the flooded villages and the damaged statue are all inside the state’s coastal and central districts. The state administration is now running disaster response from the Collectorates, with the Chief Minister personally directing operations.

The cyclone is also arriving at an awkward moment for local governance. Collectors informed the Chief Minister that arrangements were being made for counting votes in the local body elections alongside cyclone relief operations. Election logistics and disaster management are now competing for the same officials, the same roads and the same hours.

A helpline for stranded residents

The Andhra Pradesh government’s Real Time Governance Society has rolled out a dedicated grievance mechanism through its ‘Mana Mitra’ WhatsApp Governance platform, according to an official release issued on Monday. Residents can report power outages, uprooted trees, collapsed walls, waterlogging and other distress situations by messaging 9552300009.

Officials have laid out a simple process. Send a ‘Hi’ to the WhatsApp number, select the ‘Services’ option from the menu, choose ‘Murasu Cyclone Issues’, then click ‘Report Issue’ and confirm. The platform is designed to connect people directly with the administration so that on-ground intervention can happen faster.

A storm that followed Cyclone Arnab

Murasu did not arrive alone in the Bay of Bengal. Coverage of the system has described it forming days after Cyclone Arnab, which puts the region under a rapid run of cyclonic activity. For families already picking through damaged homes, that timeline is a reminder that recovery and the next warning may overlap.

The immediate priority remains clear. Rescue teams are working to reach stranded families in Ongole, flood-hit villages in Kothapatnam mandal need assistance, and coastal residents are being told to stay off the roads while the cyclone crosses. Updates will continue as the landfall process is completed and rainfall spreads across the districts.