Severe cyclonic storm Arnab intensified over the west-central Bay of Bengal on Monday evening, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its bulletin based on observations at 5:30 pm, issuing a red-message cyclone warning for the Andhra Pradesh and adjoining south Odisha coasts. The storm, pronounced 'Ornab', moved west-northwestwards at 17 kmph during the previous six hours and was centred near latitude 15.6°N and longitude 87.3°E — about 490 km south-southeast of Gopalpur in Odisha and 490 km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

Source: ANI via Latestly

490 kmFrom Visakhapatnam at 5:30 pm
115-125 kmphExpected wind speed at landfall
140 kmphGusts at landfall
Oct 28Landfall forenoon, near Yanam

The IMD said Arnab is very likely to intensify further into a very severe cyclonic storm over the same region during the next 12 hours. It is expected to keep moving west-northwestwards until the evening of October 27 and then turn northwestwards, crossing the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to Yanam, by the forenoon of October 28 with maximum sustained winds of 115-125 kmph gusting to 140 kmph.

Source: Devdiscourse (ANI)

In Andhra Pradesh, authorities have begun evacuating people from low-lying and vulnerable areas, shut beaches to the public, and traffic movement on coastal roads is scheduled to be suspended from Tuesday. The state has deployed NDRF and SDRF teams across 11 districts and shut educational institutions in affected areas, with isolated extremely heavy rainfall likely over coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam on October 27 and 28.

Source: New Kerala

Stay alert

People in coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam and south Odisha should follow IMD bulletins and district administration instructions, stay away from beaches and the sea, and move to cyclone shelters if advised.