Cyclone Arnab: very heavy rainfall lashes northern AP, one dead

High waves lashed the Visakhapatnam coast on Tuesday as severe cyclonic storm ‘Arnab’ approached the Andhra Pradesh coast. | Photo credit: KR Deepak

Very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall lashed northern Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, leaving one dead and a trail of destruction after the severe cyclonic storm ‘Arnab’ intensified into a ‘very severe cyclonic storm’ on the night of October 26-27.

According to Directorate of Economics and Statistics (DES) real-time information, Jathara campus in Visakhapatnam Rural Mandal recorded the highest daily rainfall of 141.75 mm between 8.30 am and 7 pm on Tuesday. Visakhapatnam district bore the brunt of the cyclone’s impact, with many places recording over 100 mm of rainfall and strong winds. At least 200 trees were uprooted in the city.

A 65-year-old man died in Mangalapalam after he allegedly came in contact with live electrical wires that snapped and fell into the water. Vizianagaram, Anakapalli and Srikakulam districts also recorded widespread rainfall above 80 mm till 7 pm on Tuesday.

According to the latest information from the IMD, the storm is moving at a faster than expected speed over the west-central Bay of Bengal. As of 5:30 pm, it was located about 90 km southeast of Kakinada, 170 km south of Visakhapatnam, 170 km east of Machilipatnam, 240 km east-northeast of Bapatla and 380 km south-southwest of Gopalpur in Odisha.

India Meteorological Department (IMD), Amaravati Director K. Nagaratnam, who is monitoring the cyclone situation along with her team from Vijayawada, said that the rainfall activity which was concentrated in the northern districts in the morning will move to Kakinada, West and East Godavari districts, Dr. BR Ambedkar Konaseema towards Yanam to the northwest on Tuesday night when the system will move northwest.

Initially, the IMD said the landing would be around noon on Wednesday. However, according to the latest information, the storm is likely to make landfall around 2:00 am to 4:00 am on Wednesday in the Yanam-Kakinada area with a maximum speed of 150 km/h, she said, adding that these areas may experience the maximum impact.

Canceled 21 flights

Airlines canceled at least 21 flights in Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam on Tuesday as the storm intensified. Five flights bound for Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Visakhapatnam and Kadapa were canceled at the Vijayawada airport on Tuesday. Authorities canceled all flights on Wednesday as well.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said 290 cyclone shelters had been set up and 84,396 people had been evacuated to safer places. More than 30,000 fishing boats were brought back from the sea, while 93 Andhra Pradesh boats and their crews were reported safe in Gopalpur, Odisha.

The state mobilized 8,400 workers to respond to power outages and prepare for the possible collapse of up to 15,000 power poles. National and state disaster response teams, the Navy and the Coast Guard were also alerted.

Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) Executive Director Prakhar Jain warned the public as on Tuesday evening in Kakinada districts, Dr. BR Ambedkar Konaseema and Anakapalli expected extremely heavy rain.

In case of emergency, you can call the free help lines 1070, 112 or 18004250101.

Published – 27 Oct 2026 23:31 IST