Two people were electrocuted in Anakapalli and Visakhapatnam districts as Cyclone Arnab battered the Andhra Pradesh coast, officials said on Wednesday, in a PTI report published at 11:42 am IST — the first casualty update since the storm completed its landfall, after officials had said on Wednesday morning that no loss of life had been reported.

Source: PTI via Dailyworld

The deaths underline the danger from snapped power lines in flooded streets. On Tuesday, as very heavy rain lashed northern Andhra Pradesh ahead of landfall, a 65-year-old man died in Mangalapalam after he allegedly came in contact with live electrical wires that had snapped and fallen into the water, according to reports from Visakhapatnam district, where at least 200 trees were uprooted in the city.

Source: The Hindu via TechWord News

Landfall complete, storm weakening

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Arnab crossed the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between 2 am and 8 am on Wednesday as a very severe cyclonic storm, and had weakened into a severe cyclonic storm by 8:30 am, according to its Bulletin No. 14 issued at 9:50 am. The centre lay about 20 km east-northeast of Narsapur, 40 km southwest of Yanam and 60 km southwest of Kakinada, with winds of 110–120 kmph (yaani about 110 to 120 kilometres per hour) gusting to 135 kmph near the centre.

Source: IMD Bulletin No. 14 via Hyderabad Mail

Visakhapatnam Meteorological Department Director Murthy told ANI the system was moving very slowly, at around 3 kmph along the coast between Narasapur and Yanam, that its centre had already touched the coast, and that heavy rainfall would continue until Wednesday evening before the intensity of rain and winds gradually reduced.

Source: ANI via Latestly

What happens next

The IMD expects Arnab to move north-northwestwards and keep weakening — into a cyclonic storm within about six hours and then into a deep depression over the following six hours — with a storm surge of about one metre above the astronomical tide in low-lying areas of Andhra Pradesh in the immediate hours. For residents, the official warnings remain the same even as winds fall: stay away from fallen power lines and flooded streets, because the electrocution deaths reported on Wednesday came from exactly that hazard, and follow district administration instructions on relief camps and restoration work.