Cyclone Arnab Completes Landfall, Heavy Rain Batters Andhra Pradesh and Odisha

Cyclone Arnab Completes Landfall Along Andhra Coast, Heavy Rain Batters Andhra Pradesh and Odisha

Powerful Cyclone Arnab completed its landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coast early Wednesday after a process that lasted more than six hours, bringing heavy rainfall, strong winds and widespread disruptions across Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD), in a bulletin issued at 9:50 am, said the storm had crossed the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts as a “very severe” cyclonic storm, the third-highest category on its scale.

According to the weather department, the cyclone was located over the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts after the landfall process was completed, with its central region moving entirely over land.

At the time of landfall, the storm carried maximum sustained winds of 125–135 kmph, with gusts reaching 150 kmph. It weakened into a “severe” cyclonic storm at 8:30 am, the IMD said.

The cyclone was located approximately 20 km east of Narsapur, 40 km south-southwest of Yanam, 60 km south-southwest of Kakinada and 90 km east-northeast of Machilipatnam.

More Than 1.8 Lakh People Evacuated
Authorities in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha evacuated more than 1.8 lakh people ahead of the cyclone’s arrival as a precautionary measure. The storm brought intense rainfall to several districts in both states.

In Andhra Pradesh, Visakhapatnam recorded the highest rainfall, receiving 315 mm until 8:30 am. Vizianagaram followed with 301 mm, while Anakapalli recorded 275 mm, Srikakulam 257 mm and Krishna 223 mm.

The heavy downpour disrupted normal life, with power supplies affected and trees uprooted in several areas. Some schools were closed, while railway services also faced cancellations.

Airlines cancelled several flights to Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada scheduled for Wednesday as the storm affected travel operations.

Odisha Also Records Heavy Rainfall
Odisha experienced substantial rainfall as Cyclone Arnab moved across the region. Koraput recorded 188 mm of rain, followed by Ganjam at 161 mm and Gajapati at 135 mm.

Despite the widespread disruption, no loss of life had been reported in either state at the time of the update.

Officials warned that the impact of the cyclone would continue, with heavy rainfall expected across affected areas on Wednesday and Thursday.

How Cyclone Arnab Got Its Name
The name Arnab was proposed by Bangladesh and is part of the official list of tropical cyclone names adopted in 2020 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Panel on Tropical Cyclones.

The name is commonly associated with the Bengali word for the ocean or sea.
The regional naming system includes contributions from 13 countries: Bangladesh, India, Iran, the Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Each country submitted 13 names, taking the total to 169. These names are used sequentially for tropical cyclones developing over the North Indian Ocean, which includes the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.

The naming system helps authorities, media organisations and the public identify individual storms, track their progress and avoid confusion when multiple weather systems develop.