Kakinada: The Uppada Beach Road is damaged as strong waves hurl large rocks onto the road amid Cyclone Arnab in Uppada, Kakinada district, Andhra Pradesh, on Tuesday, October 27, 2026. (Photo: IANS)
New Delhi, October 28 . Cyclonic storm ‘Arnab’ began making landfall along the coasts of Andhra Pradesh and Yanam early Wednesday morning. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), maximum sustained wind speeds during the landfall were recorded between 125 and 135 kmph, with gusts reaching up to 150 kmph.
The IMD expects the storm to initially move slowly in a north-westerly direction before shifting towards the north-north-west.
Over the past three hours, the system has moved north-west at a speed of 3 kmph. As of 2:30 AM on Wednesday, it was centered near the Andhra Pradesh coast, at approximately 16.4° N latitude and 82.0° E longitude.
At that time, it was located about 30 km east of Narsapur (Andhra Pradesh), 45 km south-south-west of Yanam (Puducherry), 70 km south-south-west of Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh), 90 km east-north-east of Machilipatnam (Andhra Pradesh), and 170 km east-north-east of Bapatla (Andhra Pradesh).
The system is expected to continue moving north-west and cross the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts—near the area south of Yanam, between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam—over the next three hours as a ‘very severe cyclonic storm.’ During this period, maximum wind speeds are expected to range between 125–135 kmph, with gusts potentially reaching up to 150 kmph. The landfall of cyclonic storm ‘Arnab’ has commenced, with the dense, swirling clouds in its northern sector already moving over inland areas. The storm’s center is currently very close to the coastline, and the landfall process is expected to continue for the next three hours. The situation is being continuously monitored via the Doppler Weather Radar located in Machilipatnam.
As of 4:30 AM on October 28, rainfall totals recorded include 94.0 mm in Gopalpur, 67 mm in Puri, 38 mm in Bhubaneswar, and 22.4 mm in Chandbali.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a ‘Red Alert’ for extremely heavy rainfall in Andhra Pradesh and surrounding regions, warning that the impact of the cyclone could extend to several neighboring states.
On October 28, heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected in some locations, while isolated areas in southern Odisha may experience extremely heavy rainfall. Northern Odisha is also likely to see heavy to very heavy rainfall in some places. On October 29, heavy rainfall is anticipated in parts of interior Odisha.
The IMD has also forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in parts of eastern Telangana for October 28. In Jharkhand, heavy rainfall is expected in some areas on October 28, with the possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall in certain locations on October 29.
The IMD has advised close monitoring of the evolving weather system as the cyclone approaches the coast and its impact spreads across Andhra Pradesh and neighboring states.
