Cyclone Arnab crosses Andhra coast near Yanam; landfall nearly over, winds easing, says IMD

Cyclone Arnab, a very severe cyclonic storm, began crossing the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coast south of Yanam, close to Kakinada, at about 1:20 am on Wednesday, 28 October, several hours earlier than the forenoon landfall first forecast. The latest India Meteorological Department (IMD) bulletin seen at the time of writing, issued at 8:30 am IST, placed the storm’s centre over the coast. It said the landfall process was expected to be completed within about an hour, with winds starting to ease after that.

What IMD says about landfall and wind speed

When the crossing began, IMD put maximum sustained winds at 125–135 kmph, gusting to 150 kmph. Its 6:30 am bulletin, as reported by The Pioneer, located the system about 45 km south-southwest of Yanam and recorded winds easing to 115–125 kmph, gusting to 140 kmph. The storm stayed almost stationary for several hours and moved northwest at about 3 kmph. Its slow pace stretched out the landfall, which IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra had expected to last around four hours.

IMD expects Arnab to weaken into a cyclonic storm by around noon on Wednesday and into a depression by Thursday. These are forecasts, not observations. IMD also warned of a storm surge of 1–1.5 metres above normal tide for about two more hours, after an earlier warning of up to 2.5 metres near Kakinada and Yanam. It flagged a moderate-to-high flash flood risk in Anakapalli, Kakinada, Krishna, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam and Alluri Sitharama Raju districts.

Damage and casualties so far

The heaviest damage reported so far is in Konaseema district. The district collector there said about 6,000 electricity poles had been uprooted, according to South First. Trees and power lines also came down in Kakinada, Yanam and Visakhapatnam. ANI reported large trees blocking roads in Korangi in Kakinada district and on Beach Road and Seethammadhara in Visakhapatnam. Houses were damaged in Mummidivaram and Yanam, and paddy was flattened in parts of the delta. Kasimkota in Anakapalli recorded 26.3 cm of rain and Visakhapatnam 26 cm.

Reports on casualties differ. Officials at Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s early-morning review said no loss of life had been reported. Earlier coverage had reported the death of a 65-year-old man in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday after he came into contact with fallen live wires. Naidu ordered fallen trees cleared within two hours and power restored once the winds drop.

Evacuations and relief

By Tuesday afternoon, Andhra Pradesh had moved 84,396 people into 290 relief shelters. Twelve NDRF and 10 SDRF teams had been deployed, and more than 30,000 fishing boats had been brought ashore. The state released Rs 27 crore for preparedness and relief. Pregnant women in coastal areas were moved to hospitals, though figures in different reports range from about 2,300 to 5,000. Kakinada Collector M N Harendhira Prasad asked residents to stay indoors except in emergencies.

Trains and flights disrupted

Air services along the coast have largely stopped. Odisha TV reported that Visakhapatnam airport operations were suspended from Tuesday afternoon, and Vijayawada and Rajahmundry after 7 pm. IndiGo suspended all its Visakhapatnam flights, and Air India Express cancelled 13 services. Reported train cancellation totals vary between sources, from about 53 to more than 90. East Coast Railway alone cancelled 21 services running between 27 October and 5 November, including the Visakhapatnam–Kirandul Express.

Odisha on alert

IMD forecast heavy to very heavy rain, with extremely heavy falls at isolated places, in southern Odisha’s Gajapati, Ganjam, Rayagada, Koraput, Nabarangpur and Malkangiri districts. Winds of 60–80 kmph, gusting to 90 kmph, are expected there. Ten more districts, including Puri, Khordha and Kalahandi, are under an orange alert. According to OdishaBytes, schools are shut in 16 of the state’s 30 districts, and more than 30,000 people had been moved to shelters against a target of 48,000.

Sources

• South First: Cyclone Arnab batters north Andhra Pradesh, uproots 6,000 power poles in Konaseema
• ANI: Cyclone Arnab: Strong winds uproot trees across Korangi area in Andhra Pradesh’s Kakinada
• The Pioneer: Cyclone Arnab Live: Landfall under way near Yanam, wind eases to 115-125 kmph
• The Pioneer: Cyclone Arnab LIVE Updates: Coastal Andhra on alert as very severe storm approaches
• Odisha TV: Cyclone Arnab disrupts train, flight services in Odisha and Andhra
• OdishaBytes: Cyclone Arnab makes early landfall near Yanam; southern Odisha braces for heavy rain
• AP7AM: Cyclone Arnab Live: Landfall continues along Andhra coast, says IMD