Cyclone Arnab Bears Down on Andhra Pradesh

Cyclone Arnab formed in the Bay of Bengal and has been building steadily. By October 26 it had reached cyclonic storm strength, and the India Meteorological Department forecast it would intensify to very severe cyclonic storm status by October 27. Landfall is expected near Yanam on the Andhra Pradesh coast, between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, on the morning of October 28.

At 8:30 AM on October 26, the system was tracking west at 15 km/h, about 610 kilometres east-south-east of Visakhapatnam. According to The Daily Jagran, forecast peak winds at landfall are 115 to 125 km/h with gusts to 140 km/h. Fishing boats across the region have been told to stay near shore.

Bangladesh moved its port warning signal from No. 1 to No. 2 as the system bore down on the Indian coast, according to The Daily Star, which placed the storm about 820 kilometres south-west of Chattogram.

In Andhra Pradesh, authorities have identified 570,000 people in high-risk areas for evacuation. Ten NDRF and eleven SDRF teams are on standby. Odisha schools and colleges in the affected districts are closed from Tuesday through Wednesday, and 17 NDRF teams are deployed across the state.