New Delhi, Nov. 2 -- Cyclonic Storm Murasu intensified into a severe cyclonic storm over the west-central and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal and is likely to cross the south Andhra Pradesh coast between midnight on November 2 and the early hours of November 3, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

In its latest bulletin, the IMD said the system moved nearly northwestwards at a speed of 20 kmph during the past six hours and lay centred over the same region at 2.30 am IST on November 2.

The severe cyclonic storm was centred near latitude 13.6degN and longitude 82.5degE, about 260 km east-northeast of Chennai, 290 km east-southeast of Nellore, 320 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam, 310 km east-southeast of Kavali, 330 km sou...