Storm at sea. Photo: Shutterstock India is preparing for the impact of the powerful cyclonic storm "Murasu", moving in the Bay of Bengal towards the country's eastern coast.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department's announcement of November 2, 2026, the storm had progressed during the six hours preceding the update at a speed of about 10 km/h in a northwesterly direction.
At 09:00 UTC, the centre of the storm was located at latitude 14.3 N and longitude 80.9 E, over the west-central Bay of Bengal. Its location was estimated to be about 100 km east of Nellore, about 120 km southeast of Kavali, about 160 km northeast of Chennai, about 160 km southeast of Ungula and about 210 km south of Machilipatnam.
The storm is forecast to continue moving northwestwards and cross the southern Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Naraspur districts, south of Ungola. The crossing is expected to begin during the night of November 2 and continue until the early morning of November 3. At the time of impact, winds of 100 to 110 km/h are expected, with gusts of up to 120 km/h.
The state of Tamil Nadu is also expected to be affected by severe weather conditions, mainly along the north coast and in the Chennai region. The meteorological department is warning of winds of 30 to 35 knots, with gusts of up to 45 knots, along with localized rainfall and thunderstorms. Heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected in some areas, which could lead to significant reduction in visibility.
Sea conditions along the north coast are expected to be rough to very rough, with further worsening during gusty winds. In addition, high wave warnings have been issued along coastal stretches in the Chennai region, Kanchipuram district and Tiruvallur district, as well as a rip current warning in the Tiruvallur region.
Warning signals were raised at ports in the region: Danger signal number 5 was raised at Chennai port, as well as at Anuradhapura and Kattupalli ports. Additional warning signals were issued at ports and coastal areas of Cuddalore, Pondicherry and Nagapattinam.
Southern Tamil Nadu is expected to see milder weather conditions, with southwesterly winds of 10 to 15 knots and isolated rainfall. However, the Meteorological Department has also issued marine advisories in this region, including warnings of high tides along parts of the coasts of Kanyakumari, Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli.