Amaravati: Heavy rains with gusty winds lashed parts of south coastal Andhra Pradesh as the severe cyclonic storm ‘Murasu’ in the Bay of Bengal crossed the coast between Nellore and Narasapur early Tuesday.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) bulletin, the severe cyclonic storm crossed the south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narasapur close to between 3.30 a.m. and 5.30 a.m. with a wind speed of 100-110 kmph gusting to 120 kmph.
It lay centered at 5.30 a.m. over south coastal Andhra Pradesh, close to Ongole, about 40 km southwest of Bapatla, 80 km north-northeast of Kavali, and 120 km from Machilipatnam. It is likely to continue to move North-northwestwards and weaken gradually into a cyclonic storm (wind speed reaching 80-90 kmph gusting to 100 kmph) by noon and further into a deep depression (wind speed reaching 55-65 kmph gusting to 75 kmph) by midnight of this day. It is under the continuous surveillance of Doppler Weather Radars at Machilipatnam and Visakhapatnam, the IMD said.
Real-Time Governance Society (RTGS) Centre and the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) are continuously monitoring the situation.
Prakhar Jain, MD of SDMA and CEO of the RTGS, has urged people to remain on high alert. In case of any issues, people can report them at any time via ‘Mana Mithra’ at 9552300009.
‘Murasu’ triggered heavy rain in the south coastal region since Monday. According to APSDMA, Naguluppalapadu in Prakasam district recorded the highest rainfall of 198.01 mm between 8.30 a.m. on Monday and 6 a.m. on Tuesday.
Kothapatnam recorded 182.25 mm of rainfall, while Bapatla received 128.53 mm of rainfall. Chirala recorded 124.10 mm; Throvagunta in Prakasam district recorded 116.93 mm; Ongole Urban recorded 106.97 mm, and Chilakapadu recorded 104.50 mm of rainfall.
Heavy rains are likely in several districts on Tuesday. Widespread heavy to very heavy rainfall, with isolated extremely heavy rainfall, is expected over Bapatla, Guntur, Krishna, Palnadu, NTR, Eluru, and West Godavari districts. Widespread moderate rainfall, with isolated heavy rainfall, is expected over East Godavari, Polavaram, Kakinada, Konaseema, Prakasam, and Markapuram districts.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy on Tuesday directed RTC and Transport Department officials to give the highest priority to the safety of passengers in cyclone-affected areas.
He directed officials to continuously monitor weather conditions and make decisions regarding bus operations accordingly. In areas experiencing heavy rainfall and strong winds, bus services should be temporarily suspended, if necessary.
The minister said road conditions should be monitored regularly, and buses must be operated only along safe routes.
(IANS)
