Cyclone Arnab began crossing the Andhra Pradesh coast near Narsapur in West Godavari district at around 1.30 am on Wednesday, October 28, as a very severe cyclonic storm, with sustained winds of 115–125 km/h gusting up to 140 km/h.

The storm formed from a depression over the Bay of Bengal. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a red message for the Andhra Pradesh and adjoining south Odisha coasts, warning of a storm surge of about 1–1.5 metres above the astronomical tide that could flood low-lying coastal areas. Winds were forecast to weaken to 50–60 km/h by Wednesday evening.

Rain and preparations

  • Up to 263 mm of rain was recorded in 24 hours in parts of Anakapalli, Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram districts.
  • Odisha kept 302 rescue teams on standby and closed schools, colleges and anganwadi centres in Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri on October 28 and 29.
  • More than 4,800 fishing boats returned to the Kakinada coast; fishermen were told not to venture out until October 29.
  • In Chennai, high waves hit the north Chennai coast and the Ennore Expressway was closed, and twelve IndiGo flights between Chennai and three Andhra Pradesh destinations were cancelled.

The storm's name, proposed by Bangladesh, means "sea" or "ocean" in Bengali. There were no confirmed reports of casualties at the time of writing. Bharat Square will update this story.