Cyclone Arnab Forms in the Bay of Bengal and Heads for Andhra Pradesh Landfall on October 28

Update: Official death toll rises to six as power restoration continues

Updated 09:15 UTC, Oct. 29, 2026. At least six people have been killed by Cyclone Arnab along India's eastern coast, Reuters reported on Thursday, and an Andhra Pradesh state government official said the official death toll was six. The Times of India, citing local officials, put the death toll at nine, caused by electrocution as well as tree and house collapses. The official figure of six replaces the five reported on Wednesday evening in the update below, and the higher Times of India figure is not the official count.

At least 15,000 electricity poles were damaged by the cyclone, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was quoted as saying in a statement carried by Reuters, and power supply had been restored in most districts except Konaseema and West Godavari. A Marshall Islands-flagged cargo vessel with 20 crew members on board, which was grounded off the coast of Andhra Pradesh, remained stalled on Thursday because of rough seas, officials said. More than 180,000 people had been evacuated in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha ahead of the cyclone's arrival, and some schools were closed and some train and flight services cancelled, Reuters reported.

Update: Death toll rises to five as chief minister announces payment for victims' families

Updated 18:22 UTC, Oct. 28, 2026. At least five people have been killed by Cyclone Arnab in Andhra Pradesh, The Daily Jagran reported in its live coverage, and The Hindu live blog carried the same five deaths headline. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu announced a payment of 5 lakh rupees to the family of each person killed. Reviewing the damage at the Real Time Governance System centre at the state secretariat, Naidu said three of the deaths were in Visakhapatnam district, caused by falling electric poles and trees, and one death each was reported in Anakapalli and Bhimavaram, according to Jagran. Northeast Herald also reported five deaths across coastal districts, with some victims electrocuted and others killed by falling trees.

The India Meteorological Department said Arnab had weakened from a severe cyclonic storm into a cyclonic storm by Wednesday evening and was centred over coastal Andhra Pradesh and the adjoining west central Bay of Bengal, Jagran reported. The storm moved north-northwest at 8 kilometres per hour over the previous six hours and is likely to weaken further into a deep depression by midnight. The department issued a flash flood risk warning for 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh and Yanam until Thursday morning. Between October 27 and November 5, 50 or more trains have been cancelled or suspended, and flights have been delayed or cancelled at the airports in Vijayawada and Rajahmundry, Jagran reported. The Telangana government offered Andhra Pradesh help with relief work and power restoration.

Update: Death toll rises to three as NDRF puts 39 teams on the ground

Updated 11:54 UTC, Oct. 28, 2026. At least three people were killed as Cyclone Arnab struck India's eastern coast, Narendra Singh Bundela, a top official at the National Disaster Response Force, told reporters, in a Reuters report. "Andhra Pradesh has been most affected ... three people have lost their lives," Bundela said. Officials in Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu's office told Reuters that two of the deaths were caused by a tree falling and electrocution. Heavy rain and high winds destroyed at least 180 houses, brought down 220 trees and disrupted power supply in several areas, Naidu said in a letter to federal home minister Amit Shah. Bundela said 39 NDRF teams had been deployed across Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and neighbouring areas, around 57,000 people had been shifted to relief camps in Andhra Pradesh, and officials said at least 22 express and passenger train services had been cancelled or suspended between October 27 and November 5. Odisha was not as badly affected, Bundela said, and wind speeds were expected to fall as the storm moved inland.

Update: Two electrocution deaths reported as Arnab weakens after landfall

Updated 09:32 UTC, Oct. 28, 2026. Two people have died in separate electrocution incidents linked to Cyclone Arnab in Andhra Pradesh, PTI reported, in a report carried by the Times of India from Vijayawada. A 53 year old man died on Tuesday night in Visakhapatnam district after coming into contact with a live wire that had snapped over an agricultural field channel, a senior district official said. A 55 year old woman died on Wednesday morning in Yellamanchili town in Anakapalli district after stepping on an exposed live wire outside her home, police said. The two deaths are the first reported from the storm, and they follow official statements earlier on Wednesday morning that no loss of life had been reported at that time. Arnab crossed the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m. local time and then weakened into a severe cyclonic storm, the India Meteorological Department said. The department placed the centre southwest of Yanam, about 20 kilometres east northeast of Narsapur, 40 kilometres southwest of Yanam and 60 kilometres southwest of Kakinada. Several coastal locations recorded more than 200 millimetres of rain between Tuesday morning and early Wednesday, with Kannuripalem in Anakapalli district recording 261.5 millimetres, and South Coast Railway cancelled 57 trains and rescheduled 15 others, PTI reported.

Update: Arnab centre moves fully inland, more than 180,000 evacuated and no loss of life reported

Updated 06:20 UTC, Oct. 28, 2026. Cyclone Arnab made landfall on India's east coast on Wednesday morning and its centre then moved fully inland, the India Meteorological Department said, in a Reuters report carried by DevDiscourse. More than 180,000 people had been evacuated in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha ahead of the cyclone's arrival. No loss of life has been reported in either state, though power supplies have been disrupted and trees have been uprooted, and some schools have been closed and some train and flight services cancelled. Operations at three Andhra Pradesh airports were suspended, India's civil aviation ministry said. Arnab is classified by the department as a very severe cyclonic storm, the third highest category on its scale, with winds of 125 to 135 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 150 kilometres per hour forecast, and a storm surge of 1 to 1.5 metres above normal tide likely to inundate low lying areas of Andhra Pradesh.

"No one knew whose house the water would rush into next, or whose home would be submerged," said Nagi, a resident of Kakinada district in Andhra Pradesh who did not give a last name, according to Reuters. "Trees have fallen, houses have been damaged, and all our belongings, including our books, have been destroyed," Nagi said. In neighbouring Nepal, authorities suspended issuing trekking permits to high mountain areas for three days because of the risk of rains and blizzards, Gita Ghimire, information officer in the Department of Immigration, told Reuters, in a peak trekking season with around 750 hikers getting permits per day. IANS reported the crossing process continued on Wednesday morning, centred about 30 kilometres from Narsapuram, with heavy rain in the Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari and Krishna districts and no reports of any loss of life so far.

Update: Arnab begins making landfall in Andhra Pradesh, trees uprooted and power disrupted

Updated 22:09 UTC, Oct. 27, 2026. Cyclone Arnab has begun making landfall in Andhra Pradesh, bringing high winds and heavy rain that uprooted trees and disrupted power supply, Reuters reported on Tuesday night, citing authorities. The storm began crossing the coast in the early hours of Wednesday local time. The India Meteorological Department said winds over the landfall area were forecast at 125 to 135 kilometres per hour, gusting to 150 kilometres per hour, over the next four hours before easing gradually, and that a storm surge of 1.5 to 2.5 metres above the normal tide was very likely to inundate low lying areas of Andhra Pradesh over the next six hours. No loss of life had been reported so far, the office of the Andhra Pradesh chief minister said, according to Reuters.

The outer spiral band of the storm had already reached the coast on Tuesday night, and the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority said complete landfall was expected between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Wednesday, October 28, between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to Yanam, Nation Press reported. The department said the cyclone was centred at 5:30 p.m. Indian time on Tuesday about 90 kilometres southeast of Kakinada and 170 kilometres south southwest of Visakhapatnam, moving west northwest at 18 kilometres per hour over the previous six hours. Thousands of people were evacuated along the eastern coast this week, and some train and flight services were cancelled ahead of the storm, Reuters reported.

Update: Sri Lanka closes schools, more than 4,700 pregnant women moved to hospitals

Updated 10:30 UTC, Oct. 27, 2026. Neighbouring Sri Lanka has closed schools as Arnab approaches, AFP reported on Tuesday, citing the island's Department of Meteorology, which warned that storms could trigger flash floods and mudslides. Sri Lanka's military has been placed on alert, the country's Disaster Management Centre said. In Andhra Pradesh, local media reported that authorities had closed all educational institutions in some districts from Tuesday until Saturday, and that more than 4,700 pregnant women living in potentially dangerous areas had been relocated to hospitals, the Indian Express reported. The India Meteorological Department warned the cyclone could cause total destruction of thatched houses, localised flooding, uprooted power and communication poles, and widespread damage to standing crops. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu ordered officials to ensure the storm is constantly monitored and advance precautions taken, his office said in a statement on Monday.

Update: Arnab is now a very severe cyclonic storm, nearly 50,000 people evacuated

Updated 05:52 UTC, Oct. 27, 2026. Arnab has intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal, moving west northwestward at 25 kilometres per hour and centred over the west central Bay of Bengal at 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Indian reporting citing the India Meteorological Department said. Reuters reported on Tuesday that nearly 50,000 people had been moved to shelters from vulnerable areas by Monday night, out of 400,000 estimated to need evacuation, Prakhar Jain, Managing Director of the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, told Reuters. "Evacuation is continuing," Jain added. There have been no evacuations in Odisha so far, Rajesh Prabhakar Patil, Special Relief Commissioner of Odisha, told Reuters. Rail services on 53 routes along the southern coast were suspended for Tuesday and Wednesday, and at least 12 trains were cancelled in the east. In neighbouring Nepal, authorities cautioned tourists against venturing into high altitude areas, fearing Cyclone Arnab could trigger torrential downpours, snowstorms and avalanches in the Himalayan region from Thursday night through Saturday. Nepal is still recovering from a deadly flash flood in August, which killed about 1,500 people.

Update: Arnab is now a severe cyclonic storm

Updated 04:56 UTC, Oct. 27, 2026. Severe Cyclonic Storm Arnab is moving across the west central Bay of Bengal at 25 kilometres per hour, the speed it has held over the past six hours, and a large disaster response effort is under way across coastal Andhra Pradesh, ANI reported on Tuesday morning, citing the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA). The storm was centred on Tuesday morning about 300 kilometres from Visakhapatnam, 360 kilometres from Kakinada, 460 kilometres from Machilipatnam and 530 kilometres from Bapatla. APSDMA Managing Director Prakhar Jain said the cyclone will maintain its west-northwestward track until Tuesday evening before veering northwestward toward the coastline.

Arnab is projected to make landfall near Yanam, between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, by Wednesday morning, and the IMD warned it is very likely to intensify further into a very severe cyclonic storm at landfall, with sustained winds of 115 to 125 kilometres per hour and gusts to 140 kilometres per hour. Preliminary assessments indicate that 16 districts, encompassing 2,460 revenue villages and 92 urban areas, fall directly in the cyclone path. An orange alert is in force in Visakhapatnam. India's Cabinet Secretary, Dr. T. V. Somanathan, chaired a meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee on Monday, October 26, to review preparedness, the Cabinet Secretariat said, with the National Disaster Response Force, state forces, the armed forces and the Indian Coast Guard prepared for rescue and relief operations.

Updated 06:30 UTC, October 26

Andhra Pradesh and Odisha stepped up preparations on Monday as Cyclone Arnab moved toward the coast. A senior Andhra Pradesh disaster management official told Reuters that the state government had identified 570,000 people as vulnerable and that evacuations would start on Monday evening. Andhra Pradesh has called boats at sea to return ashore and ordered speedy restoration of power in case of disruptions, Reuters reported.

Odisha announced the closure of schools and colleges in five districts for Tuesday and Wednesday and said it was preparing to move residents of low lying areas to cyclone shelters, Reuters reported. In Odisha, around 20 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force teams have been deployed under a three phase plan for 60 teams, The Daily Jagran reported, quoting Odisha Additional Director General Sanjay Kumar telling ANI: "The positive aspect is that Odisha is fully prepared." Jagran also reported that Andhra Pradesh power utilities were on high alert, that 25,000 electric poles and other essential materials had been stocked, and that advance release of water from Hirakud had been ensured.

Cyclonic Storm Arnab formed over the Bay of Bengal on Monday, October 26, 2026, and is moving toward the Andhra Pradesh coast. The system strengthened from a deep depression into a cyclonic storm on Monday and was moving westward at around 15 kilometres per hour, ChennaiOnline reported.

Reports quoting the India Meteorological Department confirm that stage. This article uses that confirmed stage and the reported Monday position below.

Where the storm was on Monday

The reported position on Monday put Arnab about 590 kilometres northwest of Sri Vijaya Puram in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It was about 650 kilometres east southeast of Visakhapatnam, 730 kilometres east southeast of Kakinada, 830 kilometres east of Machilipatnam and 910 kilometres east of Bapatla.

The name Arnab was proposed by Bangladesh under the regional naming arrangement for tropical cyclones over the northern Indian Ocean. A name from that list is given once a system reaches cyclonic storm intensity, which is the stage this system reached on Monday.

The landfall forecast for October 28

The India Meteorological Department forecast says the system intensified into a deep depression on Sunday over the east central and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal, strengthened into a cyclonic storm on Monday, and will move toward the Andhra Pradesh coast. It may cross between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam by the forenoon of October 28.

Forecasters also say the storm may strengthen into a very severe cyclonic storm before landfall. Landfall wind speeds are put at 115 to 125 kilometres per hour, gusting up to 140 kilometres per hour, in The Daily Jagran storm summary. ChennaiOnline puts the possible very severe cyclonic storm wind speeds at up to 125 kilometres per hour.

Orbit Post reported the same system on October 24, when meteorologists warned that a cyclonic storm developing in the bay could bring heavy rain to Nepal. That report was a Nepal rain warning. This report covers the India side now that the storm has formed and been named.

Andhra Pradesh and Odisha prepare

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu instructed government officials to remain alert and take the necessary precautionary measures. The focus, ChennaiOnline reported, is on protecting people and reducing the risk of loss of life.

In Odisha, schools will close on October 28 and 29 in five districts under a red warning: Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Gajapati and Ganjam. Fishermen were told not to venture into the sea, and those already out at sea were asked to return.

Rain across Tamil Nadu

The department forecast heavy rain at isolated places in the Tamil Nadu districts of Pudukkottai, Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram, with thunderstorms, lightning and winds of 40 to 50 kilometres per hour. Similar conditions were forecast for Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Tenkasi, Virudhunagar, Madurai, Theni, Dindigul, Karur and Tiruchirappalli, with heavy showers at one or two places in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam in the Cauvery delta.

Chennai ports hoisted warning signals on Monday, October 26. Schools were closed in several Tamil Nadu districts on October 26 as the state continued to receive significant rainfall, with India Meteorological Department alerts in place for the next three days.