Cyclone Arnab Strikes Andhra Coast, Red Alert Raised for Wednesday Landfall

At 0900 UTC (1430 IST) on October 27, the IMD bulletin placed Arnab 140 km southeast of Kakinada, 170 km south of Visakhapatnam, 230 km east of Machilipatnam, 300 km east‑northeast of Bapatla and 380 km south‑southwest of Gopalpur. The storm was moving west‑north‑west at 18 km/h, its centre 140 km from the coast, and its maximum sustained winds were 125–135 km/h, gusting to 150 km/h by 0600 UTC on October 28.

Coastal districts already feel the punch: Visakhapatnam’s electric poles toppled, a tree felled at MVP Sector 3 damaging several cars, and the Gajuwaka area submerged. In Konaseema and Kakinada, waves crashed onto roads as sea water breached sand dunes, forcing fishermen to evacuate to inland sites.

Prakhar Jain, Managing Director of the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall across East and West Godavari, Kakinada, Konaseema and Anakapalli until Wednesday morning. He urged residents in huts and sheds to seek rehabilitation centres immediately, citing wind speeds of 100–140 km/h.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu convened a teleconference with district collectors, ordering rapid power restoration, stockpiling food and water, and full deployment of NDRF and SDRF teams. He instructed collectors to monitor field‑level situations in real time via district control rooms.

With the projected landfall between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam on Wednesday, authorities have set up emergency shelters and are preparing for a potential 150‑km/h wind surge. The next 12 hours will be critical as the cyclone steers northwestward, and officials are bracing for possible infrastructure damage and displacement.