Severe Cyclonic Storm Murasu crossed the south Andhra Pradesh coast near Ongole in the early hours of Tuesday, leaving a trail of destruction across several coastal districts as heavy rain, gale-force winds and flooding disrupted normal life. 

Thousands of trees were uprooted, hundreds of electricity poles were damaged, fishing boats were damaged, standing crops suffered extensive losses and transport services were hit in several parts of the state.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the cyclone crossed the coast between Nellore and Narasapur, close to Ongole, between 3:30 am and 5:30 am with wind speeds of 100-110 kmph gusting up to 120 kmph. 

The weather agency said the system is likely to weaken into a cyclonic storm by noon and further into a deep depression by Tuesday midnight.

Heavy rainfall and strong winds caused widespread damage to infrastructure and agriculture, while several low-lying areas came under sheets of water.

Vehicles were stranded on national highways and motorists struggled to navigate through poor visibility as intense rain and gusty winds battered the region. The adverse weather conditions disrupted vehicular movement and left commuters stranded at several locations.

The cyclone was centred roughly 30 km from Ongole, 50 km from Kavali, 70 km from Bapatla, 100 km from Nellore and 140 km from Machilipatnam. It had been moving north-northwestwards at a speed of 8 kmph during the previous six hours before making landfall.

Source: ndtv