According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the severe cyclonic storm 'Murasu', formed in the west-central part of the Bay of Bengal, may hit the coast of Andhra Pradesh between midnight of November 2 and morning of November 3.
The weather department estimates that the storm will cross the coast south of Ongole, between Nellore and Narasapur.
During this period, the wind speed can be 100 to 110 kilometers per hour, while with strong gusts it can reach up to 120 kilometers per hour.
According to IMD, the storm has moved in west-northwest direction at a speed of 14 kilometers per hour during the last six hours.
At 11:30 am on November 2, it was about 120 km south-east of Nellore, 140 km south-east of Kavali, 170 km north-east of Chennai and 180 km south-east of Ongole.
According to the Meteorological Department, Doppler weather radars of Chennai, Machilipatnam and Visakhapatnam are continuously monitoring this storm.
Heavy rain alert in which states?
IMD has warned of heavy rain in many states of South India due to the impact of the storm.
Andhra Pradesh: Heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected over coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema on November 2 and 3. Very heavy rain may also occur in some areas.
Telangana: Heavy to very heavy rain is expected on November 2 and 3. There may be extremely heavy rain in some areas on November 3.
Tamil Nadu: There is a possibility of heavy to very heavy rain on November 2. There may be heavy rain in some areas between November 3 and November 5 to 7.
Odisha: There may be heavy rain in some areas between November 2 and 4.
Kerala: Heavy rain is expected in some areas between November 2 to 4 and November 7 to 8.
Apart from this, there is a possibility of rain in Karnataka, Central Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar and some northeastern states.
Alert of strong winds and thunder
The Meteorological Department has predicted winds with a speed of 80 to 90 kilometers per hour along with thunderstorms in coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam on November 2 and 3.
During this time, thunderstorms can occur here at a speed of 100 to 110 kilometers per hour. The speed of wind gusts can reach up to 115 kilometers per hour.
There is a possibility of thunderstorms with a speed of 70 to 80 kilometers per hour in Rayalaseema on November 2 and 3. Its gusts can reach up to 90 kilometers per hour.
Strong winds with a speed of 50 to 60 kilometers per hour are expected in Telangana on November 3. The speed of their gusts can be up to 70 kilometers per hour.
In Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal, winds can blow at a speed of 40 to 50 kilometers per hour between November 2 and 4. Their gusts can reach up to 60 kilometers per hour.
According to the IMD, heavy to very heavy rainfall was recorded over Tamil Nadu and Madhya Maharashtra during the last 24 hours till 8:30 am on November 2.
During this period, heavy rains also occurred in Assam, Odisha and Kerala. 12 to 21 cm of rain was recorded in Tamil Nadu and Central Maharashtra, while 7 to 11 cm of rain was recorded in Assam, Odisha and Kerala.
It is noteworthy that Cyclone Arnab has already caused huge damage in many coastal areas.
Murasu is a Tamil word, which means a large-sized drum. Traditionally this drum has been used for wars, celebrations and to warn people about any danger.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu was to visit Delhi on Monday but he has canceled his visit due to preparations for Cyclone Murasu.
There are also reports of many flights being canceled at Chennai Airport due to heavy rains.
Warning regarding rain, schools and colleges closed
Heavy rain is expected in many states due to the cyclone.
The Indian Meteorological Department has said that coastal Andhra Pradesh may receive light to moderate rain at most places on Monday and Tuesday.
There is a possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall at some places and extremely heavy rainfall at some places. There may be heavy rain at some places on Wednesday also.
In Telangana too, light to moderate rain may occur at many places and heavy rain at some places between November 2 and 4. There is also a possibility of extremely heavy rain at some places on November 3.
The weather department's estimate for Tamil Nadu is almost similar.
There is a possibility of rain in Southern Odisha also till Wednesday. Apart from this, there may be rain in Chhattisgarh also due to the cyclone.
High alert has been declared in ten districts of Andhra Pradesh. Schools and colleges are closed in many areas here. Holidays have also been declared in neighboring Odisha due to rain.
According to The Hindu, in view of the possibility of heavy rains in many districts including Chennai in Tamil Nadu, Monday has been declared a holiday in schools and colleges.
Meteorological Department's suggestions
The Meteorological Department has advised to take several precautions during the cyclone. Some of these suggestions are:
Stop fishing completely.
Evacuate people living in huts near the beach to safe places. People in affected areas should stay indoors.
Do not live in weak and unsafe buildings.
Fisheries Department and fishing port officials should alert fishermen and keep an eye on marine warnings issued by the Meteorological Department.
Fishermen should plan fishing activities as per the latest advisories issued for their area till November 3.
Companies working in shipping, ports and sea should review their preparedness. Keep an eye on the Met Office's forecast through November 3 for possible restrictions on activities affected by the weather.
Waves will rise four to six meters
The Meteorological Department estimates that thatched and mud houses may get damaged due to the cyclone.
Additionally, weak buildings and houses with tin or asbestos roofs may also be at risk.
Regarding the damage caused to agriculture, the Meteorological Department has said that standing crops in the fields, orchards and fruit orchards may get damaged.
Additionally, raw coconuts may fall and the leaves of palm trees may burst. Even during Cyclone Arnab, there was heavy damage to trees in the coastal areas.
The department has said that the height of the waves rising in the sea can be from 4 to 6 meters. Some parts of unpaved roads may collapse due to floods.
Additionally, flooding of roads in big cities can impact traffic and increase travel time.
Who suggested the name 'Murasu'?
Karnataka Meteorological Department Chairman Puviarasan said that he had suggested the name 'Murasu' when he worked in the Chennai Meteorological Department.
According to BBC Tamil, in a video released in this regard, he told that the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has set some guidelines for naming storms.
According to these guidelines, the name of the storm should not be associated with any religion or politics. It should also not be the name of any private person. The name should be such that it does not hurt anyone's sentiments. It should be easy to pronounce and contain no more than eight letters. Also, it should be connected to the common people in some way or the other.
Puviarasan says that the name 'Murasu' was suggested keeping these rules in mind.
He said that in ancient times, during the rule of kings, Murasu was used to convey messages to the people in public. It was also used to inform people about important announcements and messages during disasters. Therefore, a name was chosen which was associated with the common people and could be easily recognised.
Puviarasan said that apart from 'Murasu', he had also suggested some other names. These included the names of 'Er' and 'Kalappai' related to farming. Apart from this, the names 'Nawai' and 'Patagu' related to sea and fishing industry were also suggested. He also suggested the name of a fish named 'Tirukkai'.
He told that among these names, the Indian Meteorological Department finally chose the name 'Murasu'.
How are cyclones named?
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) introduced a system of naming cyclones that form in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea in 2000.
Under this, a group of countries like Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand submitted a list of 13 names for cyclones arising in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.
Cyclones are named according to this order. The cyclones whose names are going to be heard after Cyclone Nivar in 2020 are Burevi (Maldives), Tauktae (Myanmar), Yaas (Oman) and Gulab (Pakistan).
In April 2020, a new list containing these names was approved by the member countries.
