Cyclone Arnab’s outer bands brought rain to Kolkata on Tuesday evening, prompting the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) to ready heavy-duty and portable pumps ahead of the system’s expected landfall on the Andhra Pradesh coast early Wednesday.
The city began Tuesday with sunny weather, but sharp showers reached Kolkata by evening as the very severe cyclonic storm moved closer to the coast. Canning, Uluberia and parts of East and West Midnapore and Jhargram recorded more intense rainfall, with gusty winds reported in some areas.
According to the latest update cited in the report, Cyclone Arnab was expected to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam between 2 am and 4 am on Wednesday. The landfall timing was brought forward as the cyclone interacted with the land surface and moved faster than previously anticipated.
Although Kolkata is well away from the cyclone’s direct path, the system is expected to bring spells of rain to the city. Wednesday and Thursday are likely to see the maximum impact. On Tuesday evening, Arnab was moving at 18 kmph. Its core wind speed was estimated at 155-165 kmph, although its intensity was expected to reduce before landfall.
The cyclone was forecast to cross the coast with sustained wind speeds of 125-135 kmph and gusts of up to 150 kmph. HR Biswas, head of the Regional Meteorological Centre in Kolkata, said the projected wind speed remained sufficient to cause significant damage even after the system weakened.
“Even as the speed drops before landfall, 125-135 kmph is still a very severe cyclonic storm and can cause a lot of damage,” Biswas said. He added that Kolkata was likely to feel the strongest impact between Wednesday and Thursday.
The forecast has also triggered preparations within Kolkata’s drainage network, where prolonged rainfall can quickly affect low-lying and waterlogging-prone neighbourhoods. Municipal commissioner Smita Pandey directed the sewerage and drainage department to take preventive measures, particularly in areas with a history of waterlogging.
A KMC official said drainage pumping stations had been kept ready and that all heavy-duty pumps would be pressed into service if rainfall became intense. Special sewer-cleaning teams are also scheduled to operate in vulnerable areas, while portable pumps have been kept ready for low-lying and non-sewered locations.
The areas identified for additional preparedness include Garden Reach, Behala, the Tollygunge-Jadavpur belt and neighbourhoods near EM Bypass. The municipal response is focused on maintaining drainage capacity and removing accumulated water if the city receives prolonged or heavy spells of rain.
The next key period for Kolkata is Wednesday and Thursday, when the cyclone’s rain-bearing outer bands are expected to produce the strongest effects in the city, according to the Regional Meteorological Centre’s assessment cited in the report.
