Cyclone Arnab is barrelling towards the Andhra Pradesh coast and is expected to make landfall near Yanam on the morning of October 28, with wind speeds gusting up to 140 kmph, prompting authorities to place Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Puducherry on high alert even as heavy rain warnings cover much of eastern India. The India Meteorological Department said in its bulletin on Monday, October 26, that the storm was centred over the east-central Bay of Bengal, roughly 650 km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam, and moving westwards at 15 kmph.
The system is forecast to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by midnight on October 26 and strengthen into a very severe cyclonic storm on October 27. When it crosses the coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to Yanam, sustained winds of 115–125 kmph are likely. The weather office has issued a red-message cyclone warning for Andhra Pradesh and the adjoining south Odisha coast.
Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam are expected to take the brunt, with heavy to extremely heavy rainfall forecast on October 27 and 28, and thunderstorms possible in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema. In Odisha, a red alert has been sounded for Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri for October 28, with winds of 50–60 kmph gusting to 70 kmph and the risk of landslides in hilly areas. Heavy rain is also likely in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Vidarbha and eastern Madhya Pradesh over the coming days, with a landslide warning issued for Darjeeling.
In Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has ordered round-the-clock vigilance and regular warnings in coastal villages. Fishing boats have been recalled to shore, while arrangements are being made to shift pregnant women nearing delivery to hospitals in advance. Ten National Disaster Response Force teams have been positioned and 16 more kept on standby, with the Navy and Coast Guard alerted. The state has stocked 25,000 electric poles, and the power utility APEPDCL has opened 41 control rooms and mobilised over 4,000 personnel for emergency restoration.
Neighbouring Odisha has assigned eight ministers to supervise preparations, deployed rescue teams across vulnerable southern districts, and restricted access to hills, waterfalls and dams. Fishermen along both coasts have been advised not to venture into the sea until October 29.
At the Centre, Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan chaired a meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee on Monday to coordinate preparedness, with the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard readying rescue and relief teams.
Describing the coming three days as crucial, Prakhar Jain, managing director of the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, urged residents to follow official safety advisories.
Original Source: https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/cyclone-arnab-landfall-on-october-28-which-states-will-be-the-worst-hit-14055476.html
Category: India
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Publish Date: 2026-10-26 19:16:00
