Severe Cyclone Murasu crossed the south Andhra Pradesh coast in the early hours of Tuesday, November 3, bringing heavy rain and strong winds to coastal districts and forcing schools and colleges across several districts to stay shut for the day. The storm made landfall between Nellore and Narasapur, close to Ongole, with sustained winds of 100 to 110 kmph and gusts reaching 120 kmph, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
District administrations in Andhra Pradesh ordered the closure of government, corporate and private educational institutions in the districts lying directly in the storm’s path. For parents and students, the key question on Tuesday morning was simple: is my child’s school open or closed? The answer, as with most cyclone days, varies district by district, and the safest guide remains the latest notice from the local District Collector.
Where schools are closed on November 3
In Andhra Pradesh, closures were announced for educational institutions in NTR district (Vijayawada), Bapatla, Palnadu, Nellore and Gudur. These districts sit along the southern coast where the storm crossed land, and collectors there ordered all schools, colleges and Anganwadi centres shut as a precaution against heavy rain, strong winds and waterlogging.
The IMD has issued a red alert, warning of extremely heavy rainfall, for Krishna, Guntur, Bapatla, Prakasam and Nellore districts. An orange alert, for heavy to very heavy rain, covers East Godavari, West Godavari, Eluru, NTR, Palnadu, Tirupati and Chittoor. In the worst-affected districts, Prakasam, Krishna, Guntur and Nellore, very heavy rainfall has been reported through the day, and officials say the storm is expected to weaken to a deep depression by Tuesday night.
The Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority has also warned of a storm surge of around 1 to 1.5 metres above the astronomical tide inundating low-lying areas of south coastal Andhra Pradesh, with the peak surge expected over the Bapatla region between Krishna and Prakasam districts.
Chennai: closed on Monday, mixed picture on Tuesday
In Tamil Nadu, schools and colleges in Chennai and Tiruvallur districts were closed on Monday, November 2, as a precautionary measure ahead of the storm. Chennai District Collector S. Malathi Helan had announced the Monday holiday, and the Regional Meteorological Centre issued an orange alert for both districts.
For Tuesday, November 3, the picture for Chennai has been less clear-cut. Some reports indicate schools in the city remain shut, while other updates note that no fresh extension of the Monday holiday had been formally confirmed, with schools expected to reopen unless a new order is issued. Parents in Chennai should therefore check the latest announcement from the Chennai District Collector and their own school administration before sending children out, rather than relying on Monday’s order alone.
Elsewhere in Tamil Nadu, a school holiday was reported for Cuddalore taluk on November 3 owing to heavy rainfall, applying specifically to that taluk rather than the whole district. The IMD has forecast isolated heavy rainfall in parts of Tamil Nadu, including Cuddalore, Villupuram and Puducherry, on November 3.
Odisha also affected
The storm’s effects reach beyond Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. In Odisha, schools and colleges in Malkangiri district have been closed from November 2 to November 4 as a precaution. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea until the morning of November 4, with offshore and onshore operations suspended until the IMD reviews its warnings.
Transport has also been hit. Eleven flights from Chennai to various destinations were cancelled on Monday, and rail and road movement in coastal Andhra Pradesh has been disrupted by rain and fallen trees. Reports from the affected districts say the storm uprooted thousands of trees and damaged hundreds of electric poles, though no casualties had been reported so far.
What parents and students should do
- Check the District Collector’s latest notice for your district before the school run, since closure orders are issued district by district and can change during the day.
- Do not rely on Monday’s holiday order for Tuesday, especially in Chennai and Tiruvallur, where the Tuesday position has varied across updates.
- Keep children away from waterlogged roads, open drains and areas near uprooted trees or damaged power lines.
- Students in Andhra Pradesh’s red-alert districts should expect further local announcements if heavy rain continues into Wednesday.
District authorities have stressed that students and parents should rely strictly on local administrative notifications issued by the District Collectorate for specific school schedules, rather than on forwarded
messages or old circulars. With the storm weakening through Tuesday night, a clearer picture for Wednesday
should emerge by Tuesday evening.
FAQs
Are schools closed today, November 3, because of Cyclone Murasu? Yes, in several Andhra Pradesh districts including NTR, Bapatla, Palnadu, Nellore and Gudur, schools and colleges are shut on November 3. Closures are district-specific, so check your local Collector’s notice.
Are Chennai schools open or closed on November 3? Chennai and Tiruvallur schools were definitely closed on November 2. For November 3, reports have differed, with no single confirmed extension in some updates, so parents should verify the latest Chennai Collector announcement before deciding.
When and where did Cyclone Murasu make landfall? The severe cyclonic storm crossed the south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narasapur, near Ongole, in the early hours of November 3, with winds of 100 to 110 kmph gusting to 120 kmph.
Which districts are under red alert? The IMD has issued a red alert for Krishna, Guntur, Bapatla, Prakasam and Nellore districts, warning of extremely heavy rainfall, with an orange alert for several neighbouring districts.
Will schools reopen on November 4? That depends on how quickly the rain eases and on fresh orders from each District Collector. The storm is expected to weaken to a deep depression by Tuesday night, and Odisha’s Malkangiri district has already announced closures through November 4.
Stay with Informeia for the latest school holiday updates as district administrations issue fresh orders through the day.
