Overview
- The India Meteorological Department upgraded a deep depression to Cyclone Arnab on Monday and warned it could become a very severe cyclonic storm by Oct. 27 before likely crossing the Andhra coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam on Oct. 28 with sustained winds of 115–125 kmph, gusts to 140 kmph, and storm surges of 1.0–1.5 metres.
- Red alerts and coastal warnings have been issued for Andhra Pradesh and adjoining Odisha as the IMD cited intense convective cloud on satellite imagery and placed the system near 15.4–15.5°N, 88.8–88.9°E while forecasting a west-northwest track toward the coast.
- State governments have stepped up emergency response: Andhra Pradesh readied 10 NDRF teams and 11 SDRF teams, identified about 570,000 people for possible evacuation, set up control rooms and helplines, and cancelled leaves for key officers.
- Authorities ordered precautionary actions including recalling all boats to shore, shifting pregnant women to hospitals, staging electricity repair crews for rapid restoration, and preparing relief centres as heavy to extremely heavy rain and localized flooding are forecast from Oct. 27–29.
- The name Arnab comes from the regional cyclone list proposed by Bangladesh, IMD coastal bulletins will guide evolving forecasts, and officials have emphasised a zero-casualty objective while warning that changes in intensity or track before landfall could alter which districts face the worst impacts.