Very severe Cyclonic Storm Arnab began its landfall process near Narsapur in Andhra Pradesh in the early hours of Wednesday, 28 October 2026, bringing powerful winds, heavy rain and a dangerous storm surge to India's eastern coast. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the storm was crossing the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts. Landfall is not a single moment. It is a process lasting several hours while a storm's centre moves from sea to land, and officials said on Wednesday morning that it was still too early to name the exact crossing point.
This article sets out what the IMD and Andhra Pradesh disaster officials had confirmed by Wednesday morning, how the region prepared, and what happens next for Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and neighbouring states.
What the IMD confirmed on Wednesday morning
According to the IMD, Arnab approached the coast as a very severe cyclonic storm, with maximum sustained winds of 125 to 135 kilometres per hour and gusts reaching 150 kilometres per hour. At 11.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 27 October, it was centred over the west-central Bay of Bengal, near latitude 16.3 degrees North and longitude 82.1 degrees East: about 50 kilometres east-southeast of Narsapur, 70 kilometres south of Kakinada, 100 kilometres east of Machilipatnam, 180 kilometres east-northeast of Bapatla and 200 kilometres south-southwest of Visakhapatnam.
The IMD said the storm was very likely to cross the coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to the south of Yanam, moving slowly northwestwards at first and then north-northwestwards. It was already interacting with land, with its northern spiral band extending inland, and was being tracked continuously by the Doppler Weather Radar at Machilipatnam.
Coastal reports said the landfall process began at around 1.30 a.m. near Narsapur town in West Godavari district. Prakhar Jain, Managing Director of the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA), placed the centre at around 30 kilometres from Narsapur, 55 kilometres from Yanam, 70 kilometres from Kakinada and 90 kilometres from Machilipatnam, and warned that Kakinada, Konaseema and West Godavari districts could face gusts of 125 to 135 kilometres per hour over the next three hours.
Where the danger is greatest: wind, rain and storm surge
First, wind. Sustained winds of 125 to 135 kilometres per hour, gusting to 150, can uproot trees, damage thatched and weak structures, bring down power lines and turn loose objects into debris. Officials asked people to stay indoors at the storm's peak, secure loose objects and keep away from windows, coastal areas and flooded roads.
Second, rain. The IMD issued a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall across Andhra Pradesh, with heavy rain warnings extended to Odisha, Telangana and Jharkhand. Isolated extremely heavy rain was also forecast for coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam and Odisha on 27 and 28 October, for Chhattisgarh on 28 October, and for eastern Uttar Pradesh on 29 October. Such rain can waterlog roads, overflow drains and swell rivers, especially in low-lying areas.
Third, storm surge: seawater pushed ashore by the storm. The IMD expected a surge of 1.5 to 2.5 metres over Kakinada and Yanam, threatening inundation of low-lying areas. A surge of that height can flood coastal roads and homes, cut escape routes and contaminate drinking water. It is a main reason evacuations focused on people living close to the sea.
Early reports showed how uneven a storm's arrival can feel. At Kakinada, the wind picked up at around 1.30 a.m. after more than two hours without coastal rain, and the sea had reportedly been calm for over an hour beforehand. In Uppada, waves reportedly spread stone boulders onto the road and damaged a few thatched seafront houses, whose residents were safe in relief camps. Visakhapatnam, meanwhile, was reported battered by rain. This article gives no casualty figure: the verified early reports checked for it gave no official casualty count, and social-media numbers without an official source should be treated with caution.
How Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring states prepared
Andhra Pradesh evacuated at least 89,000 people from vulnerable coastal areas, with more than 2,000 cyclone shelters available across 20 districts. More than 30,000 fishing boats were secured and nearly 1,100 medical teams deployed. Fifteen National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams were stationed at vulnerable locations, with more at Yanam, Krishna district and Visakhapatnam, alongside State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams.
The state released 27 crore rupees to 20 districts for relief, including 2 crore rupees each for Bapatla, Krishna, Konaseema, East Godavari, West Godavari, Kakinada and Anakapalli. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu reviewed preparedness and directed officials to prioritise safety, evacuations and restoring essential services, including power.
Preparation also covered people at higher medical risk: officials said 4,711 pregnant women were shifted from vulnerable areas to healthcare facilities, since flooded roads and power cuts can turn a routine need into an emergency. Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard rescue teams, ships and aircraft were kept ready, schools and beaches were closed, fishing was prohibited, coastal-road movement was restricted, and district control rooms monitored the situation around the clock.
Odisha, outside the centre's direct path, still prepared for very heavy rain and gusts up to 80 kilometres per hour, in the words of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, with rescue, fire and police teams pre-positioned. Transport was hit before landfall: at least 21 flights were cancelled at Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam on Tuesday, with 15 more scheduled for Wednesday on routes to Chennai, Bengaluru, Kadapa and Delhi, and South Coast Railway cancelled 53 trains on 27 and 28 October. Schools and colleges in affected districts shut for 48 hours.
What happens next: weakening, but not yet safe
Danger does not end when the wind drops. After crossing the coast, Arnab was expected to move north-northwestwards and weaken as it lost its warm-sea fuel, falling to a depression by 29 October and a well-marked low-pressure area by 30 October, according to forecasts. Heavy rain, local flooding and transport disruption were still expected after wind speeds fell.
That inland rain track is why distant states were also on alert, including Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh, with effects expected across parts of northern India between 28 October and 1 November. Residents should follow IMD and state advisories, avoid flooded roads, stay clear of fallen power lines, and wait for an official all-clear before returning home or resuming fishing. Returning families should also watch for hidden hazards: floodwater can conceal drains and live wires, drinking water may be contaminated, and weakened roofs and walls may need inspection.
Why late October is cyclone season in the Bay of Bengal
Arnab arrived in the heart of the post-monsoon cyclone season. Bay of Bengal cyclones occur most often in October and November, after the southwest monsoon withdraws, when the sea stays warm and atmospheric conditions can favour organisation of low-pressure systems. Sea-surface temperatures around 29 to 30 degrees Celsius were reported in the east-central and adjoining west-central Bay as Arnab developed, supplying energy and moisture. Low to moderate vertical wind shear helped its thunderstorms stay organised, and supportive large-scale features, including the Madden-Julian Oscillation, were reported to have aided intensification.
The name Arnab was proposed by Bangladesh under the regional naming list for the North Indian Ocean, maintained by the World Meteorological Organization and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Names follow a pre-agreed sequence and do not describe strength. Arnab formed from a deep depression over the east-central and adjoining southeast Bay and moved westward, then west-northwestwards at around 22 kilometres per hour before landfall.
A single cyclone cannot, on its own, be blamed on climate change, and scientists do not attribute individual storms that way. In general terms, however, warmer oceans hold more energy and moisture, which can favour stronger storms and heavier rain when a storm forms, while rising sea levels can push surges further inland. Our report on the record-breaking 2026 El Niño shows how large-scale ocean warmth shapes weather far beyond one storm. Coastal cities also concentrate people and infrastructure in low-lying ground, the background to our guide on why cities overheat and how they can cool down. Longer-term protection means stronger warnings, maintained shelters, mangroves and embankments where they survive, drainage built for intense rain, and building rules keeping the most vulnerable homes off the lowest ground.
How cyclones are tracked, and what to watch next
Satellites show a storm's overall shape over the open sea, Doppler radar — like Machilipatnam's — details rain bands and wind near the coast, and computer models project track and intensity. Models never agree perfectly, which is why Arnab's expected crossing was given as a stretch, "between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to the south of Yanam", rather than a single point. Each new IMD bulletin is the latest picture, not a contradiction of the last.
Storm science goes beyond forecasting, too: researchers recently showed how Hurricane Simon sent invisible waves into the sky, a reminder that a cyclone's effects reach far above the clouds. Over the next 48 hours, watch how far inland the rain reaches, how fast power, transport and water return in the hardest-hit coastal districts, whether relief reaches remote villages, and whether the remnant brings forecast rain to inland states without fresh flooding.
Cyclone Arnab will weaken, as every landfalling cyclone does away from warm water. The real test is how few people were in harm's way when it arrived, how quickly services returned, and how honestly damage is assessed once the rain stops. On the preparations reported before landfall — mass evacuations, stocked shelters, standby rescue forces and active control rooms — the response was given the best possible chance. The next bulletins, and reports from the coastal districts themselves, will show how well it held.