India
Arnab weakens after landfall, but flooding, rain alerts and rescues spread inland
Slow-moving storms extend public-safety risks beyond coastal communities.
Slow-moving storms extend public-safety risks beyond coastal communities.
Cyclone Arnab hit the Andhra Pradesh and coast on October 28 as a . Winds reached 125 to 135 km/h, with gusts of up to 150 km/h. The warned of extremely heavy rain and a of about 1.5 metres. Falling trees, electrocution and other damage killed at least five people. Flooding, standing water, damaged buildings, power cuts and transport problems affected coastal districts. Thousands of people moved to shelters as authorities sent rescue teams.
The storm weakened inland, but heavy rain continued. Saturated ground and rising rivers increased the risk of in 13 Andhra Pradesh districts and : Bapatla, Guntur, NTR, Krishna, Eluru, East Godavari, Kakinada, Alluri Sitharama Raju, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Anakapalli, Parvathipuram Manyam and West Godavari. Warnings also covered parts of Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Telangana. Rain, thunderstorms and possible hail could continue, shifting the main danger from strong winds to flooding and a difficult recovery.
IMD bulletins forecast isolated heavy rainfall in on October 29 after Arnab weakened following landfall.
After Arnab crossed the coast, bulletins continued to warn of heavy rainfall and in low-lying areas as the storm weakened and moved inland.
The IMD’s flash-flood bulletin also identified vulnerable watersheds in Odisha, including Koraput, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, and Kalahandi, and in Telangana, including Suryapet. These warnings reflected rainfall runoff and the slow movement of Arnab’s inland circulation.
Extremely heavy rain was reported or forecast over parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam and Odisha, while Chhattisgarh also faced isolated extreme rainfall risk. The expanding rain area showed that the hazard was no longer confined to the immediate landfall coast.
A weaker cyclone can still release large volumes of moisture while moving slowly, allowing rainfall to accumulate faster than rivers, drains, and soil can absorb it. That process can keep flash-flood and river-flood risks high even after destructive winds decline.
IMD warned that Arnab's heavy rainfall could inundate low-lying areas of Andhra Pradesh as the storm moved inland. The available evidence supports flooding risk, but not confirmed widespread disruption to transport and essential services.
The warning covered Bapatla, Guntur, NTR, Krishna, Eluru, East Godavari, Kakinada, Alluri Sitharama Raju, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Anakapalli, Parvathipuram Manyam, and West Godavari, along with Yanam. IMD said intense rainfall could rapidly raise water levels in and neighbourhoods during the following 24 hours.
After moving inland, Arnab traveled slowly north-northwestward at about 8 km/h and weakened into a by the afternoon. The reduction in wind strength did not immediately end the danger, because the storm continued to feed heavy rain into already saturated areas.
IMD reported extremely heavy rainfall over coastal Andhra Pradesh and and warned that a surge of about 1 metre above the astronomical tide could inundate low-lying areas. The rainfall threat extended to Odisha and Chhattisgarh as the system moved inland.
Arnab crossed the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts southwest of Yanam, near 16.45°N and 81.90°E, between 2:00 and 8:00 a.m. IST. It made as a very severe cyclonic storm with sustained winds of 125 to 135 km/h and gusts up to 150 km/h.
The forecast indicated that Arnab would cross the coast between 2:00 and 4:00 a.m. on October 28. The earlier timing heightened pressure on local adminrations to complete coastal precautions and protect residents before the strongest winds and rain arrived.
IMD warnings called for in Kakinada, East Godavari, Konaseema, Eluru, West Godavari, Alluri Sitharama Raju, and Anakapalli. Heavy to very heavy rain was also forecast in Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, NTR, Krishna, Guntur, Bapatla, Srikakulam, and Parvathipuram Manyam.
The forecast placed landfall between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, near Yanam, during the early hours of October 28. Coastal authorities faced a combined threat from destructive winds, intense rainfall, rough seas, and a possible surge of about 1 to 2 metres above the .
The forecast Arnab to cross the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts as a , with winds of 125 to 135 km/h and gusts up to 150 km/h. IMD also warned that heavy rain and inundation could affect low-lying areas.