Cyclone Arnab is expected to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm and cross the Andhra Pradesh coast by the forenoon of October 28, prompting red rainfall alerts in 11 districts and warnings of winds gusting up to 140 kmph. Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, Telangana, Odisha and Chhattisgarh are expected to face the most severe conditions.
The India Meteorological Department said the system was centred over the west-central Bay of Bengal at 5.30 pm IST on October 26, approximately 490 km south-southeast of Gopalpur in Odisha and 490 km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. It is forecast to move west-northwestwards before turning northwestwards and crossing the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam.
The storm is expected to bring maximum sustained winds of 115-125 kmph, with gusts reaching 140 kmph during landfall. Winds along and off the Andhra Pradesh coast are forecast to strengthen from 40-50 kmph, gusting to 60 kmph, from the morning of October 27. Gale-force conditions are expected by early Wednesday morning, while winds may reduce to 60-70 kmph, gusting to 80 kmph, by Wednesday evening after the system moves inland.
The IMD has issued red warnings for Visakhapatnam, Alluri Sitharama Raju, Anakapalle, Kakinada, Konaseema, East Godavari, West Godavari, Eluru, NTR, Krishna and Guntur districts. Orange alerts cover Srikakulam, Parvathipuram Manyam, Vizianagaram and Bapatla districts, as well as Yanam. Palnadu, Prakasam and Nellore districts are under yellow warnings.
Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam are likely to receive extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places, with widespread rain forecast between October 27 and 29. Thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds reaching 80-90 kmph are also expected on October 27 and 28, particularly across coastal districts between Krishna and Anakapalle.
Telangana is forecast to receive widespread rainfall, with extremely heavy showers possible at isolated locations and thundersqualls reaching 50-60 kmph, gusting to 70 kmph. Khammam, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Mulugu and Mahabubabad are among the northeastern districts where strong winds are expected as the cyclone moves inland.
Odisha is likely to receive widespread rainfall, with extremely heavy showers forecast at isolated places between October 27 and 28. Thundersqualls may bring winds of 60-70 kmph, gusting to 80 kmph. Gale-force winds are expected in parts of southern Odisha, including Ganjam, Gajapati, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri.
The system is also expected to produce intense rainfall in Chhattisgarh on October 28 and 29, with extremely heavy showers possible at isolated places. Sukma, Dantewada, Bijapur and Bastar may experience winds of 60-70 kmph, gusting to 80 kmph. Vidarbha and East Madhya Pradesh are likely to receive widespread rainfall, thunderstorms and gusty winds, while Jharkhand and Bihar may see heavier rainfall later in the week.
The IMD has advised fishermen not to venture into the west-central Bay of Bengal from October 26 to 29 and along and off the Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coasts from October 27 to 29. Similar restrictions apply to parts of the northwest Bay of Bengal, the West Bengal coast, the southwest Bay of Bengal and the north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts during the specified warning periods.
Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh and Punjab may receive isolated to scattered rainfall on October 28, with gusty winds possible across parts of northwest India between October 29 and 30. The IMD has advised residents in affected areas to follow official weather bulletins and local administration advisories as Cyclone Arnab approaches landfall.
