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A year to the day after Cyclone Montha crossed the same coastline, another Bay of Bengal storm has battered Andhra Pradesh. Cyclone Arnab made landfall between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam in the early hours of October 28, bringing sustained winds of 125–135 kmph and gusts of up to 150 kmph. Uprooted trees, snapped power lines and waterlogged roads now mark the coastal districts, while the storm’s remnants carry the threat of heavy rain far inland, as far as Uttar Pradesh and Nepal.
Reportedly, the landfall process began near Narsapur at around 1:20 a.m. and continued for several hours. Arnab came ashore as a very severe cyclonic storm, the third-highest category on the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) scale, and was downgraded to a severe cyclonic storm after moving further inland. The system had formed over the Bay of Bengal on October 26 and intensified steadily as it moved west-northwest towards the coast.
Lakhs moved to safety; damage concentrated in Godavari delta districts
Authorities in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha moved people inland ahead of the storm. NBC News reported that more than 1.8 lakh people had been evacuated across the two states, while other reports put the number closer to one lakh. Official consolidated figures are yet to be released. As of publication, no deaths had been reported in either state, though power supply was disrupted, some schools were shut, and several train and flight services were cancelled.
The damage appears heaviest in Kakinada, Konaseema and West Godavari districts, where hundreds of trees were uprooted and roads and coastal infrastructure were damaged. Ahead of landfall, the IMD had warned of a storm surge of up to 1.5 metres above tide level that could inundate low-lying areas, along with severe damage to thatched houses, power and communication poles, and standing crops. The crop warning is significant: the cyclone has arrived during the kharif paddy harvest in the Godavari delta, and losses will become clearer once fields drain.
In Odisha, the state government had set a zero-casualty goal and assigned departmental tasks ahead of the storm. The IMD had forecast isolated extremely heavy rainfall over Odisha and Telangana on October 28, with heavy to very heavy rain continuing into October 29. Along the southern coast, rough seas kept fishing boats anchored in Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu for two days running.
Arnab’s rain will travel far beyond the coast
Arnab is now losing strength over land, but its moisture is not done yet. The weakening system is expected to move through Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh before reaching parts of Uttar Pradesh around October 30. By then, the main concern is likely to be heavy rain and gusty winds rather than cyclone-force winds.
Rain warnings already stretch across a wide band of the country. Parts of Telangana and southern Chhattisgarh could see heavy to very heavy rainfall on October 28 and 29, with rain also likely over West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, eastern Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and eastern Uttar Pradesh as the system moves north.
Forecasters are also watching how Arnab’s remnants behave once they meet an approaching western disturbance. Reportedly, the projected track turns north-westwards and then northwards towards Uttar Pradesh and Nepal, where the moisture from the cyclone could combine with the western disturbance to produce intense rainfall. A deep depression that followed a similar path in late September triggered flash floods and landslides. The IMD’s national bulletin also indicates rain and thunderstorms over the Himalayan region, snowfall over higher elevations, and rain over Haryana, Punjab, Delhi and parts of Uttar Pradesh as the western disturbance moves across.
Nepal has already issued warnings. Authorities there advised tourists to stay away from high-altitude areas because of the risk of torrential rain, snowstorms and avalanches from Thursday to Saturday. Nepal’s Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has said the impact could be milder if the system weakens considerably before reaching the country, but has asked people to stay alert.
Is a second storm on the way?
In the days before landfall, two systems were active over the Bay of Bengal: Arnab, and a low-pressure area over the southwest Bay and adjoining coastal Tamil Nadu that had been bringing rain to Tamil Nadu and Kerala. There was speculation that the two could interact. That second low, however, had weakened by the morning of October 27 and could dissipate.
The question now is whether a fresh system forms behind Arnab. Some weather models have shown a new low developing over the southeast Bay of Bengal and approaching the Odisha coast around November 1 or 2, but forecasters have cautioned that its formation, timing and path remain uncertain, and the IMD has not issued any forecast for such a system so far. Readers should treat social media posts announcing a “second cyclone” with caution until the IMD confirms it.
Similarly, claims circulating online that Arnab never reached cyclone strength are incorrect. The IMD classified Arnab as a very severe cyclonic storm at landfall, and its bulletins remain the authoritative source for the storm’s category, track and warnings.
What comes next
With the cyclone now inland, the focus shifts from the coast to rivers, fields and hill slopes. Andhra Pradesh and Odisha face the task of restoring power and assessing crop losses, while states from Telangana to Uttar Pradesh brace for a few days of heavy rain, and Nepal watches its mountains. Authorities along the eastern coast have maintained heightened preparedness through the storm. Whether the Bay produces another system in early November will be the next thing to watch.
With Inputs from Aayushi Gour
References:
https://www.thequint.com/news/breaking-news/cyclone-arnab-landfall-andhra-pradesh-coast-impact
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/28/cyclone-arnab-makes-landfall-in-indias-andhra-pradesh
https://www.nbcnews.com/world/asia/india-evacuates-180000-cyclone-arnab-hits-coast-rcna606057
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?PRID=2328434®=21&lang=1
https://english.onlinekhabar.com/cyclone-arnab-forms-in-bay-of-bengal.html
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