Cyclones in Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Cyclone Murasu (IMD designation BOB/09/2026), the ninth Bay of Bengal system of 2026, formed as a Depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal at 1130 IST on 31 October 2026 near 10.0°N, 90.2°E, about 330 km west-southwest of Sri Vijayapuram. Moving west-northwestwards, it intensified into a Deep Depression and then Cyclonic Storm Murasu on 1 November, and into a Severe Cyclonic Storm over the westcentral Bay of Bengal on 2 November, with a lowest estimated central pressure of 994 hPa. Slowing to 8-9 km/h as it neared land, it crossed the south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narsapur, close to Ongole (near 15.5°N, 80.2°E), between 0330 and 0530 IST on 3 November as a Severe Cyclonic Storm, with maximum sustained winds of 100-110 km/h gusting to 120 km/h and IMD warning of a 1.0-1.5 m storm surge over Bapatla, Krishna and Prakasam districts. Moving slowly north-northwestwards over land, it weakened into a Cyclonic Storm at 1430 IST and a Deep Depression at 2030 IST on 3 November. Turning northwards, it weakened into a Depression over east Telangana and adjoining coastal Andhra Pradesh at 0530 IST on 4 November, near Khammam, and into a Well Marked Low Pressure Area at 1130 IST that day. It became a Low Pressure Area early on 5 November and was less marked by 0830 IST. Bapatla recorded 22 cm of rain in the 24 hours to 0830 IST on 3 November; over the next two days the heaviest rain moved north, with 24 cm at Mulakalapalle and 34 cm at Aswaraopeta in Bhadradri Kothagudem district, Telangana, and 21-22 cm at Palakoderu (West Godavari) and Eluru in Andhra Pradesh. At least two deaths were reported in Andhra Pradesh, where crops over about 52,000 hectares were affected and more than 35 trains were cancelled. Murasu struck less than a week after Cyclone Arnab hit the same coast. The name Murasu was proposed by India and means "drum" in Tamil.

Cyclone Nargis was the most destructive cyclone in Myanmar's history. The storm surge devastated Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta. While not directly hitting India, it demonstrated the catastrophic potential of cyclones when warning systems and evacuation infrastructure are inadequate.