Cyclone Arnab Landfall Alert: Cyclonic storm ‘Arnab’ is expected to make landfall between 2 and 4 AM on Wednesday, bringing heavy rain and strong winds to parts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
As the cyclone moves closer to the east coast, strong winds and heavy rain have already been reported in Gopalpur, in Odisha’s Ganjam district. Videos from Chennai’s Ennore showed giant sea waves crashing onto roads and entering residential areas. Strong wind gusts were also seen in Andhra Pradesh’s Dr B R Ambedkar Konaseema district.
The cyclone’s outer spiral band has already reached land. The IMD had earlier indicated that the system could make landfall sooner than expected because of its faster movement.
IMD Warns of Extremely Heavy Rainfall
According to the latest IMD bulletin, ‘Arnab’, over the west-central Bay of Bengal, moved west-northwestwards at a speed of 18 kmph during the past six hours. It was centred over the west-central Bay of Bengal, off the Andhra Pradesh coast, at 5:30 PM IST on October 27, about 90 km southeast of Kakinada, 170 km south-southwest of Visakhapatnam, 170 km east-northeast of Machilipatnam, 240 km east-northeast of Bapatla, and 410 km southwest of Gopalpur in Odisha.
The cyclone is expected to continue moving west-northwestwards before turning northwestwards and crossing the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to the south of Yanam, during the early hours of Wednesday. It is forecast to make landfall as a very severe cyclonic storm, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 125-135 kmph and gusts of up to 150 kmph.
The IMD has warned of isolated extremely heavy rainfall over coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam and Odisha on October 27 and 28. Chhattisgarh is also likely to receive isolated extremely heavy rainfall on October 28.
The weather system is also expected to influence weather conditions across northern India, with heavy rainfall forecast in Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh between October 28 and November 1.
Konaseema, Eluru, West Godavari, Manyam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and Kakinada districts in Andhra Pradesh are likely to face significant impacts, with extremely heavy rainfall expected in some areas.
Shelters Set Up, Flight Disruptions Expected
Around 290 shelters had been set up and 84,396 people had been evacuated to these facilities so far in Andhra Pradesh. State-and district-level control rooms are operating round the clock, with cyclone warning bulletins being issued every hour.
Airport authorities are monitoring the situation and have advised passengers to check their flight status with the respective airlines before travelling.
Meanwhile, the Odisha government has evacuated nearly 48,000 people from high-risk areas as the state prepares for heavy rainfall and strong winds associated with the cyclone.
More than 30,000 fishing boats have been brought back from the sea. In Gopalpur, 93 boats belonging to Andhra Pradesh, along with their crews, have been reported safe.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Navy and Coast Guard have also been placed on alert. Residents in low-lying areas have been advised to move to safer locations and avoid leaving their homes unless absolutely necessary.