Cyclone Arnab makes landfall near Andhra coast, brings destructive winds and heavy rain

Very severe cyclonic storm Arnab continued to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast on October 28 morning, bringing destructive winds and torrential rain that uprooted trees, damaged electricity infrastructure and inundated low-lying areas. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the landfall process was expected to continue for several more hours.

The storm began crossing the coast in the early hours of October 28, near the stretch between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to south of Yanam. The IMD reported sustained wind speeds of 125 to 135 kmph, with gusts reaching 150 kmph. Its northern spiral band had moved further inland, while the centre remained close to the coastline.

North coastal Andhra Pradesh recorded extremely heavy rainfall overnight. Kannuripalem in Anakapalli district received around 263 mm of rain in the 24 hours ending at 8 am on October 28, according to the state Directorate of Economics and Statistics. Bhogapuram in Vizianagaram district recorded a similar amount, while a police battalion campus in Visakhapatnam received around 260 mm.

Thirty-nine automatic weather stations across Anakapalli, Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram districts recorded more than 204.5 mm of rain, the threshold the IMD uses for extremely heavy rainfall. Within Visakhapatnam city, Simhachalam received around 238 mm and Madhurawada around 207 mm.

The storm’s impact was reported across the coastal districts, including Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari and Krishna. Preliminary reports indicated damage to crops, uprooted trees and electricity poles, and power outages in several areas. Low-lying parts of Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema district were inundated.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the situation through a teleconference involving around 32,000 officials and field personnel. He also held a meeting with senior officials from the electricity, irrigation, roads and buildings, agriculture, urban development and panchayat raj departments to assess the damage and coordinate relief measures.

Naidu directed officials to prepare preliminary estimates of crop losses and communicate the state’s response to the Union government. He also instructed them to clear fallen trees from roads within two hours, restore electricity once high-speed winds subside and ensure that cyclone shelters have adequate food, drinking water and medical facilities.

Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu called for measures to protect agricultural and horticultural crops, prevent water from entering fields and guard against breaches in pond and canal embankments. He also directed officials to keep National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force teams on standby.

Authorities had evacuated around 89,000 people from vulnerable coastal areas ahead of the cyclone, while more than 30,000 fishing boats were brought ashore. Cyclone shelters and emergency medical teams were deployed as part of preparations to minimise casualties and damage.

The storm also disrupted transport. At least 21 flights were cancelled at Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam airports on October 27, with further cancellations announced for October 28. Train services were also affected, while coastal roads in parts of Tamil Nadu experienced high waves as the cyclone approached.

Southern Odisha remained on alert, with heavy rainfall and strong winds expected in areas affected by the storm. Authorities in both states continued to monitor the situation and carry out relief and restoration work.