Photo: Joint Typhoon Warning Center / Wikimedia Commons, public domain
The weather system over the Bay of Bengal strengthened into a cyclonic storm on Monday morning and has been named Arnab (pronounced ‘Ornab’), the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. It is expected to grow stronger over the next two days before crossing the north Andhra Pradesh coast on Wednesday, October 28.
Where the storm is heading
In its 8.20 am bulletin, the IMD said the deep depression had moved almost due west at about 15 kmph over the previous six hours before intensifying. At that point the storm was roughly 650 km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam, 730 km from Kakinada and 910 km east of Bapatla, and about 590 km from Sri Vijaya Puram in the Andaman Islands.
Forecasters expect Arnab to move west-northwest, become a severe cyclonic storm by Monday midnight and a very severe cyclonic storm on Tuesday. It is likely to cross the Andhra Pradesh–Yanam coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam by the morning or around noon on October 28, with sustained winds of 115-125 kmph gusting to 140 kmph. It is reported to be the first Bay of Bengal cyclone this year expected to hit the Indian coast.
Rain alerts for Andhra and Odisha
The IMD has warned of heavy to very heavy rain and squally weather until October 29. Kakinada, Eluru, East and West Godavari, NTR and Krishna districts are on red alert for extremely heavy rain of more than 200 mm in 24 hours, while Srikakulam, Parvathipuram Manyam, Vizianagaram, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju are on orange alert. In Odisha, Ganjam, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri face an orange alert on Wednesday, and these four districts along with Gajapati move to red alert on Thursday. As of Monday morning, no major rain had been recorded in Andhra Pradesh.
Boats called back, control rooms opened
More than 4,800 fishing boats have returned to Kakinada harbour and nearby landing centres, the district fisheries officer said. Six boats that went out on Sunday evening despite the warning were tracked by the Coast Guard and ordered back. Sea fishing has been halted for three days, river fishing on the Godavari has been suspended in East Godavari and Konaseema districts, and tourist boat trips to the Papikonda hills have been stopped.
The state’s eastern power distribution company has opened 30 divisional and 11 circle-level control rooms and moved staff, machinery and spare equipment towards Konaseema, the Godavari districts and Kakinada to speed up power restoration. In Odisha, police said disaster response teams had been deployed in coastal districts including Puri.
Schools shut as rain lashes the south
The wider system has already brought heavy rain to Tamil Nadu. Pamban recorded 11.4 cm in the period up to 5.30 am on Monday, followed by Coimbatore at 8 cm. Collectors closed schools in Dindigul, Coimbatore, four taluks of the Nilgiris and Periyakulam block in Theni, while all educational institutions in Kerala’s Palakkad district were shut. Landslides disrupted traffic on the Pachamalai ghat road on Sunday.
What happens next
Andhra Pradesh had already drawn up evacuation plans for low-lying coastal areas between Bapatla and Vizianagaram ahead of the expected landfall. Fishing will stay suspended until conditions return to normal after the storm crosses the coast, and the IMD will keep updating its track and intensity forecasts as Arnab approaches.
