Cyclone Arnab to hit Andhra coast, Odisha evacuates thousands

Cyclone Arnab, a very severe cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal, is set to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast near Yanam by Wednesday, 28 October, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Andhra Pradesh and Odisha have moved tens of thousands of people to safety, closed schools and halted fishing, and more than 70 trains and dozens of flights have been cancelled, The Pioneer and Telangana Today reported.

It is the first cyclone to form over the Bay of Bengal this year. The National Crisis Management Committee has directed agencies to aim for "zero loss of life".

Key points

• Category: very severe cyclonic storm, the first cyclone over the Bay of Bengal in 2026.
• Landfall: expected between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to Yanam, by the forenoon of Wednesday, 28 October, the IMD said.
• Winds at landfall: 125 to 135 km/h gusting to 150 km/h, according to the IMD forecast reported by Telangana Today.
• Red alerts for heavy to very heavy rain in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha; alerts also in Telangana, West Bengal and Jharkhand.
• About 89,000 people moved to relief camps on the Kakinada coast; Odisha is evacuating about 48,000.

Where is Cyclone Arnab now?

At 11:30 am on Tuesday, 27 October, the IMD placed the storm over the Bay of Bengal about 170 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam, Telangana Today reported. Winds at sea were reported at 150 to 160 km/h, gusting to 180 km/h, The Pioneer reported.

The IMD expects the storm to cross the Andhra Pradesh-Yanam coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam by the forenoon of Wednesday, 28 October. The Kakinada district collector gave a slightly earlier estimate, saying landfall could come between Kakinada and Narsapur between 9 pm and midnight on Tuesday, The Pioneer reported. Forecasts differ on how much the storm will weaken before it reaches land, so the timing and strength at landfall should be checked against the latest IMD bulletin.

The IMD has warned of possible "total destruction" of thatched houses, damage to power poles and crops, and flooding in low-lying areas. Its Director-General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra described sea conditions as "phenomenal", The Pioneer reported.

Which states are on alert?

Andhra Pradesh and Odisha are the main impact zones, with red alerts for heavy to very heavy rain. According to The Pioneer and Telangana Today:

• Andhra Pradesh: cyclone alerts sent to 2.7 crore people across 18 districts; Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, Kakinada and East Godavari among the worst-hit areas.
• Yanam (Puducherry): close to the expected landfall point.
• Odisha: orange warnings (12 to 20 cm of rain) for Puri, Gajapati, Ganjam, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri; yellow warnings for 16 more districts including Balasore, Cuttack and Khurda.
• Telangana: red alerts for Khammam, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Mulugu and Mahabubabad for Wednesday.
• West Bengal: heavy rain expected in South 24 Parganas and Purba and Paschim Medinipur on 28 and 29 October; fishermen told to stay off the sea until 29 October.
• Jharkhand: yellow alert for heavy rain in Ranchi and seven other districts from 28 October; Ranchi schools closed on 28 and 29 October.

The remnants of the storm may also bring rain further north. Officials asked eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to stay alert, and Nepal has been asked to stay on high alert from 29 to 31 October, The Pioneer reported.

Evacuations and shelters

Andhra Pradesh, according to Telangana Today and The Pioneer:

• About 89,000 people moved to 101 relief camps on the Kakinada coast.
• 2,131 cyclone shelters ready across 20 districts; 54 relief camps in Visakhapatnam district.
• More than 30,000 fishing boats brought ashore.
• 1,087 medical teams, 8,281 emergency beds and 1,274 ambulances on standby; 1,351 pregnant women moved to hospitals.
• Two months of essential supplies stocked at 14,686 ration shops; advisories sent to about 36 lakh farmers.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed officials to shift everyone in low-lying areas and keep relief camps stocked.

Odisha:

• About 48,000 people are being moved from low-lying and landslide-prone areas, including about 11,000 each in Gajapati and Nabarangpur, said Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh P Patil, who set a "zero casualty" target.
• 135 permanent and about 1,600 temporary cyclone shelters are ready.
• 294 rescue teams deployed: 9 NDRF, 60 state disaster response and 225 fire service teams.
• Schools closed in eight districts on Tuesday and Wednesday.
• Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari warned of flash floods from heavy rain in the upper catchments of rivers in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.

Nationally, the National Disaster Response Force has deployed 25 of 31 requisitioned teams, The Pioneer reported.

Trains and flights cancelled

Source: The Pioneer. Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said: "Passenger safety is the top priority." Travellers should check with Indian Railways (NTES or the IRCTC app) and their airline before travelling.

What to do if you live in the cyclone zone

• Follow official warnings from the IMD, the state disaster management authority and district collectors.
• Move to a shelter if you live in a low-lying area, a kutcha or thatched house, or near the coast, when told to.
• Keep an emergency kit: drinking water, dry food, medicines, a torch, a charged phone and power bank, important documents in a plastic bag.
• Stay indoors during the storm; do not go out when the wind drops, because the eye of the cyclone can be followed by strong winds from the other direction.
• Stay away from fallen power lines, trees and flooded roads.
• Fishermen: do not go to sea until the warnings are lifted.

Why it matters

The Andhra and Odisha coast has a long history of destructive cyclones, from the 1999 Odisha super cyclone to Hudhud in 2014 and Phailin in 2013. Since then, early warnings and large evacuations have sharply cut the number of deaths, which is why both states have set "zero casualty" targets. The damage to houses, crops, fishing boats, power lines and roads can still be heavy, especially in districts where farmers were already struggling: Andhra Pradesh had declared 388 of its 688 mandals drought-hit before the storm, The Pioneer reported.

Once the storm passes, the main risks shift to flooding in rivers and low-lying areas, damaged power lines and blocked roads, so residents should wait for official clearance before returning home.

The next 24 hours will be the most dangerous. Follow official warnings, stay indoors, and check on neighbours who may need help moving to shelter.