Cyclone Arnab is strengthening over the Bay of Bengal on a course toward India’s east coast, with forecasters expecting it to cross the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coastline on Wednesday morning. The India Meteorological Department forecast sustained winds of 115 to 125 kilometres per hour near landfall, with gusts reaching 140 kilometres per hour. The system developed from a depression over the east central and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal and is expected to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm on Monday night and a very severe cyclonic storm on Tuesday, before weakening only after it comes ashore.
Where the danger is greatest
The forecast landfall stretch runs between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, and the risks extend well beyond wind. Heavy to very heavy rainfall is forecast for coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam, with extremely heavy falls possible at isolated locations on October 27 and 28, and parts of Odisha may also receive very heavy rain as the system approaches and moves inland. Forecasters warned of a possible storm surge of around 1.0 to 1.5 metres above the astronomical tide in low lying coastal areas during landfall, with the greatest risk indicated around parts of East Godavari district near Kakinada and Yanam. Rough seas and strong winds make fishing and small boat activity particularly hazardous, and authorities have suspended fishing at sea.
What officials are doing now
Andhra Pradesh authorities identified around 570,000 people as vulnerable and planned to begin evacuations on Monday evening, according to reports of the state’s preparations, while power utilities mobilised personnel, machinery and materials for rapid restoration work. Odisha, which is not the expected landfall state, has still stepped up precautions for its southern districts, including school closures and a red alert for October 28. The landfall on October 28 is a forecast, not a certainty, and forecast tracks can change, so residents are urged to check the latest official bulletins and follow district instructions on shelters and evacuation rather than relying on any single earlier forecast.
