Cyclone Arnab makes landfall in Andhra Pradesh, six Odisha districts face red alert

Cyclone Arnab moved ashore along the Andhra Pradesh coast early on Wednesday, October 28, bringing winds of up to 150 kmph and putting six districts in neighbouring Odisha on red alert for heavy rainfall and strong winds.

The very severe cyclonic storm completed its landfall by 8 am on October 28 after crossing the coastline between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, southwest of Yanam, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The storm packed sustained winds of 125–135 kmph, with gusts reaching 150 kmph.

The weather department reported that the cyclone's centre had moved entirely over land by 8 am. At 8.30 am, its position was near Narsapur in Andhra Pradesh, around 20 km to the east-northeast. It was also about 40 km from Yanam and 60 km from Kakinada.

The IMD expects the system to continue moving north-northwestwards over the next 48 hours, losing strength as it progresses inland. Arnab is likely to weaken into a cyclonic storm within six hours of the latest assessment and subsequently become a deep depression over the following six hours.

The cyclone's impact is expected to extend into Odisha, where authorities have been warned of worsening weather, particularly across the southern districts.

Manorama Mohanty, director of the IMD's Bhubaneswar centre, said rainfall and wind speeds were likely to increase across the state. Several areas had already experienced widespread rainfall during the previous 24 hours.

The weather department has issued a red warning for Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri and Nabarangpur. These districts could receive heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few locations, with extremely heavy rain possible in isolated areas.

Some districts are also likely to experience winds of 60–70 kmph, with gusts of up to 80–85 kmph, Mohanty said.

Heavy to very heavy rainfall is also forecast in parts of coastal northern Odisha. The IMD has advised fishermen to stay out of the sea until October 29 as the storm continues to affect weather conditions along the eastern coast.