HYDERABAD: With Cyclone Murasu closing in on the south Andhra Pradesh coast, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for two Telangana districts, warning of extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places.
Nalgonda and Nagarkurnool are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall on Tuesday, with isolated extremely heavy spells.
Suryapet, Mahbubnagar and Wanaparthy have been placed under an orange alert, with heavy to very heavy rainfall forecast at isolated places, according to the IMD.
Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds of 50-60 kmph, reaching up to 70 kmph, are also likely in Nalgonda, Suryapet, Mahbubnagar, Nagarkurnool and Wanaparthy.
A yellow alert has been issued for Mulugu, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Khammam, Mahbubabad, Warangal, Hanmakonda, Jangaon, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Rangareddy, Vikarabad, Narayanpet and Jogulamba Gadwal.
These areas may experience heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and winds of 40-50 kmph, gusting to 60 kmph. The remaining districts may see thunderstorms accompanied by winds of 30-40 kmph.
Yellow alert in place for TG districts
Murasu intensified into a severe cyclonic storm at 2.30 am on Monday. At 8.30 am, it lay over the west-central Bay of Bengal, about 160 km east-southeast of Nellore, 180 km northeast of Chennai and 240 km south of Machilipatnam, moving west-northwestwards at 22 kmph.
The storm is expected to continue moving northwestwards before crossing the south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narsapur, south of Ongole, around midnight.
As the system moves inland, rainfall activity over Telangana is expected to ease. However, a yellow alert will remain in place on November 4 for Vikarabad, Mahbubnagar, Nagarkurnool, Wanaparthy, Narayanpet and Jogulamba Gadwal districts. Thunderstorms are forecast across all districts on November 5 and in nine western and southern districts on November 6. As of now, no warnings have been issued for November 7 and 8.