UPDATE: Cyclone Murasu weakened from a severe cyclonic storm into a cyclonic storm on Tuesday afternoon after crossing the south Andhra Pradesh coast near Ongole in the early hours of the day. The India Meteorological Department’s afternoon bulletin put the centre about 60 kilometres north of Ongole and 80 kilometres south-west of Vijayawada, with winds of 80 to 90 kilometres per hour gusting to 100.
The system was expected to weaken further into a deep depression by midnight, but the IMD warned that heavy spells of rain would continue over south coastal Andhra Pradesh for another 12 hours, with a moderate flash-flood risk in Bapatla, Guntur, Krishna, Palnadu, Prakasam and Nellore districts until late on Tuesday night.
The weakening is therefore not an all-clear: waterlogging was reported in Vijayawada, flights and trains remained disrupted, and fishermen were advised to stay ashore until the morning of November 4. The storm had crossed the coast between Nellore and Narsapur between 3:30am and 5:30am with winds of 100 to 110 kilometres per hour gusting to 120.
Sources: India Meteorological Department, The Statesman. Written in our own words for information only.