Andhra Pradesh braces for Cyclone Murasu, its second cyclone in a week
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.
Published 2 November 2026. Written by Pratidin from the reports linked at the end; every fact checked by a separate review before publishing. How we work
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?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
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.
Use this in UPSC Mains: previous-year questions
Recurring theme: Tropical cyclones and disaster preparedness on India's coasts
- How to use this
Use Arnab and Murasu as a current example of the Bay of Bengal's high cyclone frequency, after explaining the formation conditions.
- In late October and early November 2026, Cyclones Arnab and Murasu formed over the Bay of Bengal within about a week.
- Murasu began as a low over the south Andaman Sea on 29 October 2026 and became a cyclonic storm on 1 November.
Concerns disaster-risk reduction alongside infrastructure; the story's resilient-infrastructure points are relevant but it is not about ecologically sensitive areas.
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.
- 29 October 2026Low-pressure area forms over the south Andaman Sea
- 31 October 2026IMD classifies it as a depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal
- 1 November 2026It becomes a deep depression and then Cyclonic Storm Murasu
- 2 November 2026Andhra Pradesh, north Tamil Nadu and neighbouring States on alert; Chennai and Tiruvallur close schools
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.
- 1Countries proposeEach of 13 member countries gave 13 names, at most eight letters, neutral on politics, religion, culture and gender
- 2Panel adopts the listThe WMO/ESCAP Panel adopted 169 names in 2020, arranged in 13 columns
- 3RSMC New Delhi assignsThe next name in sequence is given when a system becomes a cyclonic storm
- 4Name is retiredA used name is never repeated
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.
Go deeper
Why it matters for UPSC
Prelims asks how cyclones form, how the IMD classifies them and who names them. Mains asks about preparedness, early warning and repeated disasters on India's east coast.
The core idea
Warm seas, moisture and spin from the Earth's rotation feed Tropical cyclone formation. The IMD upgrades a system through the categories of IMD cyclone classification as winds strengthen; at cyclonic storm level it gets a name under Cyclone naming in the North Indian Ocean. Murasu is an Indian name. Response is organised under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, with State authorities moving medical teams, relief camps and vulnerable people before landfall.
Numbers and dates to remember
- 31 October 2026: depression; 1 November 2026: Cyclonic Storm Murasu
- Forecast winds at landfall: 100 to 110 km/h, gusting to 120 km/h
- 169 cyclone names, 13 countries, list adopted in 2020; each name at most eight letters
- Andhra Pradesh: 1,688 medical teams, 116 relief camps, 13,165 emergency beds
- Cyclonic storm: 62 to 88 km/h on the IMD scale
Where to go next
- Tropical cyclone formation: the conditions that let a low grow into a cyclone
- IMD cyclone classification: the wind thresholds from depression to super cyclone
- Cyclone naming in the North Indian Ocean: why the storm is called Murasu
- Disaster Management Act, 2005: the legal frame for preparing and responding
Go deeper: When disasters come back to back
The compounding problem. Cyclone Arnab struck Andhra Pradesh in the last week of October 2026. Before roads, power lines and crops could recover, Murasu followed. 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. Each storm weakens the defences against the next.
What works. India's death toll from cyclones has fallen sharply over the years because of better forecasting by the IMD and early evacuation, an approach built into the Disaster Management Act, 2005. Andhra Pradesh's health preparations before Murasu, including 1,688 medical teams, 116 relief camps, 13,165 emergency beds and the shifting of 493 pregnant women due to deliver between 1 and 10 November to health centres, show the shift from relief after the event to preparation before it.
What remains hard. Forecasts of landfall point and timing still shift as a storm approaches, as they did for Murasu. Livelihood losses of farmers and fishers, who were told to stay ashore, are harder to prevent than deaths. Repeated storms raise the case for resilient infrastructure: underground cabling, stronger embankments and cyclone shelters.
The science link. Late-season Bay of Bengal storms are common because sea surface temperatures stay high after the monsoon; see Tropical cyclone formation. Their intensity is graded on the IMD cyclone classification, and the names under Cyclone naming in the North Indian Ocean help warnings reach people clearly.
Tropical cyclone formation
The conditions that turn a low into a storm
In one line: A tropical cyclone is an intense low-pressure system that forms over warm tropical seas and draws its energy from the heat released when water vapour condenses.
The conditions it needs
- Sea surface temperature of about 26 to 27°C or more, over a large area and depth
- Enough Coriolis force to set the air spinning, which is why cyclones rarely form within about 5 degrees of the equator
- A pre-existing low-pressure disturbance
- Low vertical wind shear, so the storm's structure is not torn apart
- Humid air in the middle levels of the atmosphere
Why the Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal is warm and shallow, with a funnel-shaped coast, and receives disturbances that drift in from the western Pacific and the Andaman Sea. The post-monsoon months of October to December are a main cyclone season. Murasu began as a low over the south Andaman Sea in late October 2026.
Where to go next
IMD cyclone classification
How the IMD grades storm intensity
In one line: The IMD grades low-pressure systems in the North Indian Ocean by their maximum sustained surface wind speed, from low-pressure area to super cyclonic storm.
The scale
- Low-pressure area: below 31 km/h
- Depression: 31 to 49 km/h
- Deep depression: 50 to 61 km/h
- Cyclonic storm: 62 to 88 km/h
- Severe cyclonic storm: 89 to 117 km/h
- Very severe and extremely severe cyclonic storms: between 118 and 221 km/h
- Super cyclonic storm: 222 km/h and above
Why it is in the news
Murasu was classified as a depression on 31 October 2026 and upgraded to a cyclonic storm on 1 November, when it was named. Officials warned of winds of 100 to 110 km/h, gusting to 120 km/h, at landfall, which is in the severe cyclonic storm range.
Where to go next
IMD cyclone classification: every story that connects to it (2)
Cyclone naming in the North Indian Ocean
Why the storm is called Murasu
In one line: Cyclones over the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea are named from a list of 169 names given by 13 countries, assigned by IMD's RSMC New Delhi.
How the system works
Naming began in September 2004 with a list from eight countries. A new list of 169 names, 13 from each of 13 countries, was adopted by the WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones and released in April 2020. The members are Bangladesh, India, Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the UAE and Yemen. Names are used in sequence, column by column, must be at most eight letters, must be neutral on politics, religion, culture and gender, and are never repeated.
Why it is in the news
Murasu, India's name, means a traditional drum in Tamil. It came right after Arnab, Bangladesh's name, in the same column of the list.
Where to go next
Disaster Management Act, 2005
The legal frame for cyclone preparedness
In one line: The Disaster Management Act, 2005 set up a three-tier system of disaster management authorities and shifted India's approach from relief after disasters to preparedness and mitigation.
The structure
- National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), chaired by the Prime Minister
- State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs), chaired by Chief Ministers
- District Disaster Management Authorities, headed by the District Collector or Magistrate
The Act also created the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and provides for response funds at national and State levels.
Why it is in the news
Before Murasu, the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority tracked the storm and identified 20 mandals at risk of extremely heavy rain, while the health department set up 116 relief camps and 1,688 medical teams.
Where to go next
Disaster Management Act, 2005: every story that connects to it (3)
Take the 2 November 2026 quiz: 30 Prelims-style questions with answers