Indian authorities moved tens of thousands of people away from vulnerable coastal areas on Tuesday as Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Arnab approached Andhra Pradesh from the Bay of Bengal. The evacuations, shelter preparations and transport disruptions were taking place before the storm’s forecast landfall, which had not occurred at the time of the latest official bulletin used for this report.
In a coastal bulletin issued at 9:31 p.m. India time on 27 October, the India Meteorological Department said Arnab was centred about 90 kilometres southeast of Kakinada and moving west-northwest at 18 kilometres per hour. The agency expected the cyclone to cross the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to the south of Yanam, during the early hours of 28 October.
IMD advances the expected landfall window
The IMD said the storm’s outer spiral band had already entered land and that its faster movement could bring landfall earlier than previously forecast. The agency’s latest estimate placed the crossing between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. local time. Arnab was expected to remain a very severe cyclonic storm at landfall, with maximum sustained winds of 125 to 135 kilometres per hour and gusts reaching 150 kilometres per hour.
Those figures remain a forecast rather than a measured landfall result. The precise track, timing and intensity can still change as the circulation interacts with the coast. The IMD warned of widespread rain and thunderstorms, poor visibility and rough to very rough sea conditions across affected marine areas. Residents and maritime operators were directed to follow official warnings and local orders.
At least 89,000 evacuated in Andhra Pradesh
Associated Press reported that at least 89,000 people had been evacuated from vulnerable areas of Andhra Pradesh by Tuesday. State authorities established more than 2,000 cyclone shelters across 20 districts, secured over 30,000 fishing boats and deployed nearly 1,100 medical teams. Emergency alerts were also sent to millions of mobile phones, while some train services were cancelled as rain and strong winds began affecting the region.
Officials said more than 12 million people live along the cyclone’s projected path. That number describes the population living in the broad forecast corridor; it is not an estimate of casualties or the number expected to suffer damage. In neighbouring Odisha, authorities were preparing to evacuate roughly 48,000 people from areas expected to be affected by the storm.
Al Jazeera, citing weather and local authorities, reported that the cyclone had intensified into the “very severe” category and that evacuation plans were expanding as it approached the coast. The outlet also noted warnings for Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, where heavy rainfall could compound the risks from wind, flooding and disrupted transport.
No verified damage total before landfall
At the time of writing, the official sources reviewed did not provide a confirmed total for deaths, injuries or cyclone damage. Reports of evacuations and preparations should therefore not be read as an assessment of the storm’s eventual impact. Emergency agencies were focused on moving residents from low-lying and flood-prone locations, keeping fishing vessels out of dangerous waters and positioning medical and rescue resources before the centre reached land.
The next phase will depend on the observed crossing point and wind strength, followed by rainfall and flooding after the cyclone moves inland. Any final account of landfall, casualties or damage will require updated bulletins from the IMD and state disaster-management authorities after the event.
