Hyderabad: The deep depression over the Bay of Bengal will intensify into cyclonic storm Murasu and cross the south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narsapur late on Monday night (November 2), the India Meteorological Department said, setting off rain alerts across Telangana and southern Odisha.
The IMD's Hyderabad centre has issued a red alert for Khammam, Suryapet and Mahabubabad districts, warning of very heavy rain, with extremely heavy falls in isolated pockets, on November 4. An orange alert covers Bhadradri Kothagudem, Warangal and Hanamkonda, where thunderstorms, lightning and winds of 60-70 kmph, gusting to 80 kmph, are likely.
Heavy rain is also forecast in isolated parts of Rajanna Sirisilla, Karimnagar, Peddapalli, Jayashankar Bhupalapally, Mulugu, Jangaon, Siddipet and Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, while gusts of 40-50 kmph, touching 60 kmph, are expected in Hyderabad and most other districts of Telangana. The Met office expects light to moderate rain over the State until November 6.
In its national bulletin, the IMD said the storm lay centred at 2:30 pm on Sunday about 480 km east-southeast of Chennai, 550 km east-southeast of Nellore and 610 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam, having moved west-north-west at 27 kmph. It should become a severe cyclonic storm by Monday morning and hit the coast with winds of 100-110 kmph, gusting to 120 kmph.
Odisha, still recovering from Cyclone Arnab, is bracing for the storm's indirect impact. An orange warning has been issued for Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri, with very heavy rain likely on November 3 and 4, and a yellow alert for thunderstorms covers 16 districts. Ganjam and Gajapati alone may receive 7 cm to 12 cm of rain on Monday.
Murasu is not expected to make landfall in Odisha, but it is likely to bring widespread rain and thunderstorms to the State as it moves towards the Andhra coast. Rain has been forecast at isolated places in Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Nayagarh, Khordha and Puri on November 3, and in Nuapada, Bolangir and Bargarh the following day. Conditions should begin to ease from November 5 and settle considerably by November 6 and 7.
The two accounts differ slightly on the landfall window: one places it between 11:30 pm on November 2 and 4 am on November 3, while the other says the coast will be crossed by the morning of November 3. Both put the crossing between Nellore and Narsapur, with comparable wind speeds. In Andhra Pradesh, the Chief Minister has reviewed the storm's likely impact and called off a Delhi visit, according to reports.
The IMD has advised people to keep track of forecasts, stay indoors while thunderstorms pass and follow traffic advisories in cities. No casualties or damage have been reported so far.
(With inputs from media reports)