Cyclone Arnab is moving towards the Andhra Pradesh coast, prompting authorities to intensify disaster preparedness measures across 16 districts ahead of its expected landfall near Yanam on Wednesday morning.
The severe cyclonic storm, moving across the west-central Bay of Bengal at a speed of 25 kmph during the preceding six hours, is likely to cross the coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to Yanam, bringing strong winds and extremely heavy rainfall.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA), the cyclone was centred approximately 300 km from Visakhapatnam, 360 km from Kakinada, 460 km from Machilipatnam and 530 km from Bapatla on Tuesday morning.
APSDMA Managing Director Prakhar Jain said the system is expected to continue moving west-northwestwards until Tuesday evening before turning northwestwards towards the coast.
The IMD has warned that the cyclone is likely to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm before landfall, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 115–125 kmph, gusting up to 140 kmph. Extremely heavy rainfall is also forecast at isolated places along the coast.
Meanwhile, an orange alert has been issued for Visakhapatnam, where light rainfall has already been reported. The weather department has forecast thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds reaching 50–60 kmph in parts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Anakapalli over the next three hours.
According to preliminary assessments, 16 districts covering 2,460 revenue villages and 92 urban areas are likely to be affected by the cyclone.
As part of preparedness measures, authorities have readied 1,763 cyclone shelters and established 2,907 control rooms at district and mandal levels to coordinate emergency operations. A total of 3,185 nodal officers have been deployed to supervise relief and response activities.
Evacuation measures have also been initiated across 2,107 Swarna Grama and Swarna Ward units to move residents from vulnerable areas to safer locations.
Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed across 11 high-risk districts to undertake rescue and relief operations if required.
Authorities have imposed restrictions on public access to beaches, while movement along coastal roads is scheduled to be suspended from Tuesday afternoon as a precautionary measure.
On the fisheries front, officials confirmed that all fishermen who had ventured into the sea have returned safely. A total of 30,043 fishing vessels have been anchored and secured at harbours.
Special medical arrangements have been made in cyclone-prone areas to ensure emergency healthcare services remain available. Additionally, 2,613 emergency water tankers have been kept ready for deployment to prevent drinking water shortages in affected regions.
The state administration has urged residents in vulnerable areas to remain indoors, exercise caution and follow official advisories issued by the IMD and disaster management authorities.
Officials said emergency response teams and essential service personnel remain on alert as Andhra Pradesh prepares for the cyclone’s expected landfall on October 28.