Vijayawada, 3 November (H.S.): Cyclone Murasu crossed the south Andhra Pradesh coast near Ongole between 3.30 am and 5.30 am on Tuesday, bringing gale-force winds of 100-110 kmph with gusts reaching 120 kmph, Andhra Pradesh Meteorological Department Director K. Nagaratna said.

Addressing the media in Vijayawada, she said the severe cyclonic storm had moved north-northwestwards at around 8 kmph during the preceding six hours. The landfall process took place along the coast near Ongole, she said.

Nagaratna advised fishermen not to venture into the sea until the morning of November 4. She said offshore and onshore fishing operations had been suspended and would remain so until the situation was reviewed in accordance with India Meteorological Department (IMD) warnings. Fishermen and coastal residents were advised to follow official weather bulletins and instructions.

Red alerts had been issued for Krishna, Guntur, Bapatla, Palnadu, NTR and Prakasam districts in view of the likelihood of heavy rainfall. Most parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh were likely to receive light to moderate rain, while heavy to very heavy rainfall was expected at a few places. Extremely heavy rainfall was likely at isolated places in central coastal Andhra Pradesh, she said.

The Met official also warned of a storm surge of around 1-1.5 metres above the astronomical tide, which could inundate low-lying areas along the south coastal Andhra region. The maximum surge was expected in the Bapatla region, between Krishna and Prakasam districts, before gradually subsiding.

She said the cyclone was likely to weaken gradually as it moved further north-northwestwards. Residents in vulnerable coastal areas were advised to remain alert and follow instructions issued by the district administrations.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar