Cyclone Arnab Makes Landfall in Andhra Pradesh, 150 Kmph Gusts

KEY TAKEAWAYS: Cyclone Arnab began making landfall along the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts early on Wednesday, October 28, bringing sustained winds of 125 to 135 kmph and gusts reaching 150 kmph. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned of a storm surge of 1.5 to 2.5 metres inundating low-lying coastal areas, with extremely heavy rain already recorded. Thousands of people were evacuated ahead of the storm, and no loss of life had been reported so far.

Stylised illustration of a cyclone spiral over a coastal town with bending palm trees and surging waves — Illustration: WHAT TODAY?

Landfall under way

The cyclone began its landfall process early Wednesday, crossing between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, south of Yanam, the IMD said in its hourly bulletin. The system had been moving northwestwards at just 3 kmph over the preceding three hours — a slow pace that prolongs the battering of the coast.

“Landfall process will continue for the next 3 hours,” the IMD said, adding that the storm would initially continue moving slowly northwestwards before turning north-northwestwards. Surface winds over the landfall zone were expected to hold at 125 to 135 kmph, gusting to 150 kmph, for the next few hours before gradually weakening.

Arnab had strengthened from a deep depression into a cyclonic storm on October 26, then into a severe and very severe cyclonic storm as it crossed the Bay of Bengal toward India’s east coast. Its arrival had been forecast for days, giving authorities time to prepare — and this landfall is the moment those preparations are tested.

Damage on the ground

The impact was visible within hours. In Kakinada, trees were uprooted and power lines snapped at several places. In Visakhapatnam, heavy rain and strong winds brought down trees that blocked Beach Road and sections of Seethammadhara. In Machilipatnam, in Krishna district, an uprooted tree lay across Beach Road during the landfall itself.

The IMD’s inundation warning is the most serious immediate threat: a storm surge of 1.5 to 2.5 metres above the normal astronomical tide is very likely to flood low-lying coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh over the next four to six hours, with the highest surge expected near Kakinada and Yanam, which is part of the Union Territory of Puducherry.

Rainfall has already been extreme. More than 200 mm fell at several places in Anakapalli and Visakhapatnam districts between 8:30 a.m. on October 27 and 3 a.m. on October 28 — before the storm’s core even arrived. Heavy rain and gusty winds also lashed parts of West Bengal, and the IMD issued heavy to very heavy rainfall warnings for several districts of Odisha, with extremely heavy rain likely at isolated places.

Thousands evacuated, transport hit

Thousands of people were evacuated along India’s eastern coast this week ahead of Arnab’s arrival, and train and flight services were cancelled. Reports put the number of cancelled trains at around 50, and flight operations across the region were disrupted, with airlines and aviation authorities issuing advisories for passengers.

Despite the scale of the storm, no loss of life had been reported so far, according to the office of Andhra Pradesh’s Chief Minister — an early sign that the evacuation and preparation effort worked. That assessment will only firm up once the storm passes and damage surveys begin.

Why it matters

The Bay of Bengal is one of the world’s most cyclone-prone regions, and India’s east coast has paid dearly before: a super cyclone that hit Odisha in October 1999 remains one of the country’s deadliest natural disasters, killing nearly 10,000 people. The difference between that catastrophe and today is measured in forecasting, evacuation and communication — and Arnab is the latest test of all three.

The storm’s slow movement is a double-edged sword: it gives warnings time to spread, but it also means hours of sustained wind and rain over the same districts, raising the flood risk even after the winds ease. For the low-lying coast around Kakinada and Yanam, the surge — not the wind — is the danger to watch in the hours after landfall.

What’s next

The IMD expects the system to weaken gradually after completing landfall, turning north-northwestwards and dumping heavy rain over Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and parts of West Bengal. Authorities will survey damage, restore power and clear blocked roads, and the evacuated will wait for the all-clear to return home.

The full damage picture — homes, crops, infrastructure — will emerge over the coming days. This article will be updated as official assessments arrive.