In brief
At least 22 flights were canceled in Chennai and Vijayawada, and over 30 at Gannavaram, as the cyclone intensified to severe status. The storm is expected to make landfall near Bapatla on Nov. 3 with winds of up to 110 km/h, prompting widespread alerts, school closures and evacuations.
Over 20 flights were cancelled Monday across the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh as Cyclone Murasu intensified, officials said, amid heavy rain and winds that have already forced thousands of people to evacuate along the eastern coast.
Chennai International Airport announced that 11 scheduled domestic flights were grounded that day, with passengers urged to check flight status before heading to the airport. In a statement to local media, airlines noted that the cancellations were routine safety measures in the face of the storm’s projected path and the strong southeasterly winds.
Vijayawada International Airport confirmed that 10 flights were also called off from its runways. The airport’s operations manager told reporters that the decision was taken after the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for six districts in adjoining areas, signalling potential severe rain and wind events.
Superseding the official data, a post on the Mathrubhumi English Facebook page noted that over 30 flights were cancelled at Gannavaram Airport, a key hub for the northern parts of Andhra Pradesh. The page also mentioned that 32 train services in neighboring Odisha were suspended. The Facebook post was shared by the state’s Emergency Operations Centre as a quick update for residents.
The cyclone, which has been designated as a severe cyclonic storm by the IMD, moved west‑northwestwards from the western Bay of Bengal, currently centered about 120 km east‑southeast of Nellore and 160 km northeast of Chennai. The agency warned that it would likely cross the south‑Andhra coast with wind speeds of 100 to 110 km/h, gusting up to 120 km/h, targeting areas around Bapatla early Tuesday. In an update from the IMD, the meteorological bureau also urged fishermen to stay out of both the southeast and southwest arms of the Bay until Wednesday.
Prakhar Jain, a senior official with the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, told local media that roughly 2,000 people had been evacuated from low‑lying coastal villages. He said the process of moving residents to safer zones was ongoing and that additional evacuations could follow as the cyclone’s trajectory tightened.
Both the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh administrations declared school and college holidays for Monday, citing the risk of heavy rainfall and potential flooding. The Tamil Nadu education department also issued a separate directive to postpone all non‑essential public events in the affected districts.
In addition to the Indian subcontinent’s own alerts, state officials in Odisha accelerated evacuation efforts on Monday, citing Murasu’s impact beyond its immediate coast. Odisha’s officials reported that the Cyclone had already taken a toll after the previous storm, Arnaud, which had killed six and left 10 missing.
The cascading series of weather warnings reflects the broader pattern of cyclonic activity in the Bay of Bengal this season, and the combined efforts of meteorological agencies and local authorities to mitigate risk. The ensuing flight and train cancellations underscore the operational ripple effects that such a storm can have on the region’s transportation network, as authorities prioritise passenger safety and shelter logistics.
