Overview
- Arnab strengthened into a very severe cyclonic storm on Tuesday and the IMD forecasts it will cross the Andhra/Yanam coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam by the forenoon of October 28 with sustained winds of 115–125 km/h and gusts to 140 km/h.
- The weather agency has issued red alerts and warned of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall with isolated 24‑hour totals above 200 mm in several coastal Andhra districts including Kakinada and East Godavari.
- State and central authorities have mobilised rescue forces and shelters with Andhra Pradesh deploying multiple NDRF and SDRF battalions and identifying hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people for evacuation.
- Transport and coastal operations are pre‑emptively disrupted as officials cancelled dozens of trains, suspended fishing and advised ports and airlines to expect delays because of very high to phenomenal sea conditions.
- Secondary risks include inland flooding, reservoir overflows and landslides in hilly districts so communities should follow local evacuation orders and official IMD and disaster‑management alerts for changing forecasts.