Visakhapatnam : The cyclonic storm 'Murasu' over the Bay of Bengal moved west-northwestwards at a speed of 25 kmph in the six hours up to 5.30 pm on Sunday, and is likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by the early hours of November 2, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its latest bulletin.

The system lay over the southwest and adjoining westcentral Bay of Bengal, centred near latitude 12.7°N and longitude 84.1°E at 5.30 pm on November 1. 
It was about 420 km east-southeast of Chennai, 490 km east-southeast of Nellore, 500 km southeast of Machilipatnam, 530 km southeast of Ongole and 560 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam.

The cyclone is very likely to move west-northwestwards and intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm over the westcentral Bay of Bengal by the early hours of November 2.

Thereafter, it is very likely to move northwestwards and cross the south Andhra Pradesh coast as a severe cyclonic storm, with wind speeds of 100-110 kmph gusting to 120 kmph, between Nellore and Narsapur from around 11.30 pm on November 2 to 4 am on November 3, the IMD said.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday directed officials to remain fully prepared for relief and rescue operations, with officials briefing him that the storm was likely to cross the coast near Bapatla on the morning of November 3.

“Another cyclone is approaching Andhra Pradesh and officials must remain fully prepared to undertake relief and rescue operations, as a severe cyclonic storm is expected to cross the coast near Bapatla on the morning of November 3,” Naidu said in an official press release.

The system is likely to bring moderate to heavy rainfall, with isolated extremely heavy showers, over south and central coastal districts on November 2. Several areas may receive heavy to very heavy rainfall on November 3 and 4, with wind speeds of up to 110 kmph expected during landfall.

Of the 20 mandals forecast to receive extremely heavy rainfall, nine are in Eluru district, five each in Krishna and NTR districts and one in Bapatla.

On November 3, average district rainfall is expected to be around 179 mm in Eluru, 163 mm in Krishna, 161 mm in NTR, 147 mm in West Godavari, 119 mm in Guntur and 104 mm in Bapatla, the release said.

In view of the anticipated heavy rainfall, an inflow of around 32,500 cusecs is expected at Budameru on November 3. Heavy inflows are also likely in Errakalva, Gonelavagu, Jalleru and Pampa reservoirs, among others.

Preliminary estimates indicate that strong winds could damage around 15,128 electricity poles across 12 districts.

Naidu directed officials to keep adequate manpower and equipment ready for relief and rescue operations and move necessary personnel and materials to vulnerable areas in advance. 

He also asked them to prepare clear timelines for restoring power supply in the event of damage to electricity infrastructure and communicate the information to the public.

The Chief Minister suggested that officials issue cyclone situation bulletins every four hours and asked telecom network operators to take advance precautions to prevent mobile signal disruptions in areas likely to be severely affected.

Recalling the experience during cyclonic storm Arnab, Naidu said telecom operators could have taken additional precautionary measures to prevent network disruptions. He asked officials to ensure that arrangements were made in advance to avoid a recurrence.

In view of the approaching cyclone, Naidu also cancelled his scheduled visit to Delhi on Monday.

Meanwhile, officials briefed him on the damage caused by Cyclone Arnab and the progress of relief operations. Naidu enquired about electricity restoration in affected areas, with officials informing him that power supply would be restored everywhere by Sunday night.

Andhra Pradesh recently bore the brunt of Cyclone Arnab, which crossed its coast on October 28, claiming seven lives and causing widespread damage to agriculture, infrastructure and power supply.

Meanwhile, the Odisha government has announced a high alert in the southern region of the state.

Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said the government had ordered the evacuation of people from low-lying areas and hilly terrain as part of its preparedness measures.

Director of the Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar, Manorama Mohanty, said Odisha would receive rainfall from November 2, with the intensity expected to increase on November 3 and 4 under the influence of the cyclone.

'Murasu', meaning war drum, is the name given to the cyclone by India.