# Andhra Pradesh braces for Cyclone Murasu, its second cyclone in a week

URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-11-02/cyclone-murasu-andhra-second-storm/
Date: 2 November 2026 (2026-11-02)
Source: The Hindu, Page 1
UPSC papers: GS3, GS1
Publisher: upsc.help (Pratidin), free and open-source UPSC Civil Services current affairs. Not affiliated with UPSC. Every fact was checked against the source reports by a separate review before publishing.

**In one line:** A deep depression over the Bay of Bengal intensified into Cyclonic Storm Murasu on 1 November 2026, and Andhra Pradesh prepared for its second cyclone within a week after Cyclone Arnab.

A low-pressure area that formed over the south Andaman Sea on 29 October 2026 became a depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal on 31 October and intensified into Cyclonic Storm Murasu on 1 November. Andhra Pradesh, still recovering from Cyclone Arnab, which struck the State in the last week of October, braced for its second cyclone within a week. Officials warned of gale-force winds of 100 to 110 km/h at landfall, expected on the south Andhra coast early on Tuesday, 3 November, with heavy to very heavy rain over south coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema. Fishermen were told not to go to sea.

The State's health department said on 1 November that it had deployed 1,688 medical teams, set up 116 relief camps, arranged 13,165 emergency beds and stocked 43,672 doses of anti-snake venom. It identified 6,870 pregnant women due to deliver between 1 and 10 November and had moved 493 of them to nearby health centres. Officials estimated that 12,102 to 15,128 electricity poles across 12 districts were at risk, and 20 mandals were flagged for extremely heavy rain. In Tamil Nadu, schools and colleges in Chennai and Tiruvallur were closed on 2 November.

Murasu, a Tamil word for a traditional drum, is a name contributed by India. Cyclones over the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea are named from a list of 169 names, 13 from each of 13 member countries, adopted by the WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones in 2020 and assigned by the IMD's Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre in New Delhi. A system is named only when it reaches cyclonic storm strength, with sustained winds of 62 km/h or more. The previous name on the list, Arnab, was given by Bangladesh.

## Prelims facts

- Cyclonic Storm Murasu formed over the Bay of Bengal on 1 November 2026, days after Cyclone Arnab hit Andhra Pradesh.
- Murasu, a Tamil word for a traditional drum, was contributed by India; Arnab was Bangladesh's name.
- The North Indian Ocean list has 169 names from 13 countries, adopted in 2020; names are at most eight letters and never reused.
- On the IMD scale, a cyclonic storm has sustained winds of 62 to 88 km/h; only then is a name given.
- Andhra Pradesh deployed 1,688 medical teams and 116 relief camps before landfall.

## Quick recall

- **When did the Bay of Bengal system become Cyclonic Storm Murasu?** 1 November 2026.
- **Which country contributed the name Murasu, and what does it mean?** India; a traditional drum, in Tamil.
- **Which country contributed the name Arnab?** Bangladesh.
- **How many names are on the North Indian Ocean cyclone list adopted in 2020?** 169: 13 names from each of 13 countries.
- **Maximum length of a cyclone name on the list?** Eight letters.
- **Which body assigns cyclone names in the North Indian Ocean?** IMD's Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre (RSMC), New Delhi.
- **Wind range of a cyclonic storm on the IMD scale?** 62 to 88 km/h.
- **Wind threshold of a super cyclonic storm?** 222 km/h and above.

## Prelims practice question

With reference to the naming of tropical cyclones over the North Indian Ocean, consider the following statements:
1. The current list of names was contributed by 13 countries.
2. A name once used is retired and not repeated.
3. A low-pressure system is named as soon as it becomes a depression.
Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only. Statement 1 is correct: the 2020 list has 169 names, 13 from each of 13 countries. Statement 2 is correct: names are not repeated. Statement 3 is wrong: a system is named only on reaching cyclonic storm strength (62 km/h or more), as Murasu was on 1 November 2026, not at the depression stage.

## UPSC previous-year questions this connects to

- UPSC Mains 2014, GS1: Tropical cyclones are largely confined to the South China Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Gulf of Mexico. Why? (https://upsc.help/pyq/q363-tropical-cyclones-largely-confined-south-china-sea/)
  How to use this story in the answer: Use Arnab and Murasu as a current example of the Bay of Bengal's high cyclone frequency, after explaining the formation conditions.
- UPSC Mains 2026, GS3: Discuss how the contradiction between 'rapid infrastructure development' and 'disaster-risk reduction' in ecologically-sensitive areas of India can be managed, with suitable examples. (https://upsc.help/pyq/q038-contradiction-between-rapid-infrastructure-development-disaster-risk-reduction/)

## Mains practice question

Andhra Pradesh faced two cyclones within a week in late 2026. Discuss the challenges posed by back-to-back cyclones on India's east coast and the measures needed to build resilience. (250 words)

### Model answer

In late October 2026 Cyclone Arnab struck Andhra Pradesh; within days, Cyclonic Storm Murasu formed on 1 November and headed for the same coast.

## Challenges
- **Compounding damage:** infrastructure and crops hit by one storm have no time to recover; officials estimated up to 15,128 electricity poles at risk across 12 districts.
- **Stretched response capacity:** the same teams, funds and shelters must be used twice.
- **Health risks:** 6,870 pregnant women were due to deliver between 1 and 10 November.
- **Livelihoods:** fishers kept ashore and farmers losing harvests twice.
- **Forecast uncertainty:** the expected landfall point shifted as the storm approached.
- **Spillover to neighbours:** schools in Chennai and Tiruvallur closed on 2 November, showing impacts beyond one State.

## Measures
- **Early warning and evacuation**, building on IMD forecasts and the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
- **Pre-positioning:** Andhra Pradesh set up 1,688 medical teams, 116 relief camps and 13,165 emergency beds before landfall.
- **Resilient infrastructure:** underground cabling, cyclone shelters, stronger embankments.
- **Crop insurance and quick compensation** for farmers and fishers.
- **Recovery planning** that assumes a second hit within the same season.
- **Clear communication:** short, distinct names such as Murasu, assigned by IMD's RSMC New Delhi, help warnings reach people quickly.
- **Community preparedness:** trained village volunteers and drills, coordinated by State and district disaster management authorities.

India has cut cyclone deaths through preparedness; back-to-back storms now demand resilience in livelihoods and infrastructure too.

## The basics

## Why this matters
On 1 November 2026, a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal became Cyclonic Storm Murasu and headed for the Andhra Pradesh coast, only days after Cyclone Arnab struck the State. Cyclone formation, the IMD's intensity scale and the regional naming system are frequent Prelims topics, and disaster preparedness is core GS3.

## How a low becomes a cyclone
A tropical cyclone grows from a low-pressure area over warm sea. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) upgrades it step by step as its sustained wind speed rises. Murasu passed through these steps between 29 October and 1 November 2026.

## The IMD intensity scale
The IMD classifies systems by maximum sustained wind speed. A storm gets a name only when it reaches cyclonic storm strength.

## Who named it Murasu
Names for cyclones over the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea come from a list of 169 names adopted in 2020 by the WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones: 13 names from each of 13 member countries. IMD's Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre (RSMC) in New Delhi assigns them in turn. Murasu, a Tamil word for a traditional drum, was suggested by India. Arnab, the previous storm, was Bangladesh's name.

## Preparing for back-to-back storms
Andhra Pradesh deployed 1,688 medical teams and 116 relief camps, arranged 13,165 emergency beds and 43,672 doses of anti-snake venom, and moved 493 pregnant women close to delivery to health centres. The second storm hits before recovery from the first is complete. Read on: Tropical cyclone formation, IMD cyclone classification, Cyclone naming in the North Indian Ocean and Disaster Management Act, 2005.

## Sources

- https://thesouthfirst.com/andhrapradesh/cyclone-murasu-hurtles-towards-andhra-coast-landfall-likely-on-early-tuesday-morning/
- https://www.deccanchronicle.com/southern-states/andhra-pradesh/cyclone-murasu-1688-medical-teams-116-relief-camps-set-up-2000898
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone_Murasu
- https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1619051
- https://www.deccanherald.com/india/explained-how-imd-categorises-cyclones-989000.html