VISAKHAPATNAM, October 26 (Aalimi Nation) – Cyclone Arnab, which intensified over the Bay of Bengal on Monday, is forecast to strengthen further and cross the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam by the forenoon of October 28, the India Meteorological Department said, as Andhra Pradesh and Odisha stepped up preparations.
Cyclone Arnab: the latest forecast
The India Meteorological Department said a deep depression over the east-central and southeast Bay of Bengal intensified into a cyclonic storm on Monday. The system was moving west-northwest at about 15 km an hour and was last located roughly 730 km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam and 990 km east of Bapatla.
The department expects the storm to become a severe cyclonic storm by Tuesday morning and to peak as a very severe cyclonic storm over the west-central Bay of Bengal before landfall. Sustained winds of 115 to 125 km an hour, with gusts up to 140 km an hour, are forecast near the coast.
IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra warned that the winds could cause large-scale damage to structures and standing crops, and that sea conditions are very rough and will worsen. Heavy to extremely heavy rain is expected over parts of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh over the next two days, which could cause flooding in low-lying areas and landslides in hilly terrain.
Andhra Pradesh and Odisha respond
Andhra Pradesh and the adjoining coast of south Odisha are under an orange alert. The Andhra Pradesh government said it was coordinating across departments to deploy emergency resources and secure vulnerable areas in order to prevent loss of life and property. Residents have been advised to postpone travel, and fishermen have been told not to go to sea.
In Odisha, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi assigned eight ministers, including the two Deputy Chief Ministers, to oversee preparedness in eight districts: Koraput, Rayagada, Kandhamal, Ganjam, Nabarangpur, Malkangiri, Kalahandi and Gajapati. The state government said it had stepped up disaster-response arrangements, directed officials to stay alert and made the safety of people in vulnerable areas a priority.
Red warnings for very heavy rainfall cover all southern districts of Odisha from Tuesday to Thursday, and some coastal districts will also receive very heavy rain, the state said.
Wider weather warnings
The weather office also issued an orange warning for heavy to very heavy rain on Monday over Kerala, Mahe, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal. Heavy rain is expected over coastal Andhra Pradesh until Tuesday. Thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds are likely over Gangetic West Bengal, Kerala, Lakshadweep and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for the next two days.
Fishermen have been advised to avoid the west-central Bay of Bengal and adjoining northwest and southwest areas for the next two days.
The storm remains far from the coast, and the forecasts above are subject to change. The sources consulted gave no casualty, damage or evacuation figures.
