Cyclone Arnab has triggered a moderate to high flash-flood risk warning across 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh and Yanam, with the India Meteorological Department cautioning that saturated soil and low-lying areas could face rapid surface runoff and inundation until 5.30 am on Thursday.
The warning issued by the IMD’s Cyclone Warning Centre covers Bapatla, Guntur, NTR, Krishna, Eluru, East Godavari, Kakinada, Alluri Sitarama Raju, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Anakapalli, Parvathipuram Manyam and West Godavari districts. The centre said moderate to heavy flash-flood risk was likely over some watersheds and neighbourhoods under the influence of the very severe cyclonic storm.
The IMD also issued a storm-surge warning for the North Andhra coast and a large part of the Odisha coast from 11.30 am on Wednesday until 5.30 am on Thursday. Gale-force winds of up to 120 kmph were forecast in the affected coastal belt. Squally weather, with winds reaching 50 kmph and gusting to 60 kmph, was forecast along the Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal coasts and the northern Tamil Nadu coast from 5.30 am on October 29 to 5.30 am on October 30.
Cyclone Arnab completed landfall by 8 am on Wednesday, with its central region moving entirely over land, according to the IMD bulletin reported by PTI. At 8.30 am, the system was centred over coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam and the adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal. It was located about 20 km east-northeast of Narasapuram, 40 km southwest of Yanam and 60 km southwest of Kakinada.
The system was expected to move north-northwestwards over the following 48 hours and weaken gradually. The IMD forecast that it would weaken into a cyclonic storm within six hours and then into a deep depression during the subsequent six hours. The trough extending from the west-central Bay of Bengal near the Andhra Pradesh coast to the cyclonic circulation associated with Arnab had also become less marked, the director of the Amaravati Meteorological Centre said.
The rainfall preceding and accompanying the storm had already been intense in several parts of Andhra Pradesh. Garividi recorded 26 cm in the 24 hours until 8.30 am on Wednesday, while Anakapalli, Srungavarapukota, Vepada and Cheepurupalle received 25 cm each. Bheemunipatnam, Mentada and Yelamanchili recorded 24 cm each, while several other locations reported between 21 cm and 23 cm.
Wind speeds were also significant. Machilipatnam recorded a maximum sustained wind speed of 96 kmph in the same period, followed by 80 kmph each at Visakhapatnam and Kakinada. Kalingapatnam recorded 70 kmph, while Bapatla and Kavali recorded 45 kmph and 32 kmph respectively.
The IMD forecast heavy rainfall and thunderstorms in parts of Andhra Pradesh over the seven days from Wednesday to November 3. Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam were expected to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places on Wednesday, with isolated extremely heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and lightning also possible across coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam and Rayalaseema.
For Thursday, the weather office forecast heavy rainfall at isolated places in coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam, along with thunderstorms and lightning over these areas and Rayalaseema. From October 30 to November 3, thunderstorms with lightning were expected over coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam, with isolated heavy rainfall forecast on November 1, 2 and 3. Strong winds of up to 50 kmph were forecast until November 1.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu followed a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah with a phone call detailing damage caused by the cyclone, according to a state government press release. The release said Naidu requested central assistance for relief, rehabilitation and restoration efforts in cyclone-affected areas. The immediate risk identified by the IMD remains flash flooding in saturated watersheds, vulnerable low-lying areas and neighbourhoods as the system weakens over land.
