Cyclone Arnab to hit Andhra Pradesh coast on Wednesday, says IMD

Cyclone Arnab will intensify into a 'severe' cyclone by Tuesday as it further inches closer to the coast. (File Photo)

Cyclone Arnab will intensify into a ‘severe’ cyclone by Tuesday as it further inches closer to the coast and will hit the north Andhra Pradesh coast Wednesday morning, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Monday.

This is the first cyclone to develop in the Bay of Bengal in 2026, which will affect the Indian coast.

Cyclone Arnab will intensify into a ‘severe’ cyclone by Tuesday as it further inches closer to the coast.

While predicting the cyclone’s track, IMD said it is expected to cross the Andhra Pradesh-Yanam coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam with wind speeds of 115-125 km/hour, gusting to 140 km/hour during the morning hours of October 28.

On Monday morning, Cyclone Arnab was located about 590 km north-northwest of Sri Vijay Puram in the Andaman Islands, 650 km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam, 730 km east-southeast of Kakinada, 830 km east of Machilipatnam, and 910 km east of Bapatla.

“Cyclone Arnab will further intensify into a ‘very severe’ cyclone when it reaches close to the Andhra Coast. It will cross the Indian coast as a ‘severe’ cyclone,” the Met department’s update on Monday stated.

Along with strong winds, heavy to very heavy rainfall has been forecast for the coastal districts of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.

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Srikakulam, Parvathipurammanayam, Vizianagaram, Anakapalli, and Alluri Sitharama Raju districts remain on ‘orange’ alert ahead of ‘very heavy’ rain (110-200 mm in 24 hours). Kakinada, Eluru, East and West Godavari, NTR, and Krishna districts along coastal Andhra Pradesh remain on ‘red’ alert as these districts will be hit by ‘extremely’ heavy rain (more than 200 mm in 24 hours).

Odisha’s Ganjam, Rayagarha, Koraput, and Malkangiri districts remain on an ‘orange’ alert Wednesday for ‘very heavy’ rain. All these districts, along with Gajapati, remain on ‘red’ alert ahead of extremely heavy rain Thursday.

Cyclones that develop in the El Niño year are more prone to hit the Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu coasts.