Cyclone Arnab made landfall along the southeastern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh as a “very severe cyclonic storm”, bringing strong winds, heavy rainfall and rough sea conditions, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
In an update issued at 8:30am local time, the weather agency reported sustained winds of 115 to 125 kilometres per hour, with gusts reaching 140 kilometres per hour. It also warned of possible flash flooding in coastal areas between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu said no deaths had been reported following the storm. He praised government officials for working throughout the night to manage the emergency and credited precautionary measures with helping prevent loss of life.
According to the chief minister’s office, Naidu expressed satisfaction that preventive action had helped protect residents from the cyclone’s impact.
Authorities had directed around 50,000 people in Andhra Pradesh and another 48,000 in neighbouring Odisha to relocate to safer locations ahead of the storm.
Residents in affected areas described repeated flooding and damage caused by severe weather. Rajeshwari, a 65-year-old woman staying at a government shelter near Kakinada, said her home frequently floods during such events, forcing her family to remain in standing water.
During the night, strong winds damaged trees while heavy rain battered Kakinada, a port city close to the cyclone’s path. Large waves also struck the coastline.
By Wednesday morning, residents had returned to flooded streets to assess the damage. Initial observations suggested that the city had escaped relatively limited destruction.
A local businessman, Hussain, 43, said the damage appeared less severe than on previous occasions, although several trees had fallen and some sheds and advertising boards had been damaged. He added that schools had been closed for two days and residents were staying indoors as a precaution.
Another Kakinada resident, Sadiq, 40, described conditions on Tuesday night as dangerous but said early warnings from authorities had given people time to prepare. Many residents locked their homes and moved to safer locations, he said.
Cyclones, known as hurricanes in the North Atlantic and typhoons in the Pacific, frequently affect the Bay of Bengal and the northern Indian Ocean.
Weather conditions during the current storm season have been influenced by the El Niño phenomenon, which is associated with changes in global weather patterns and can contribute to rising temperatures.
The cyclone’s effects also prompted precautionary measures in neighbouring countries. Sri Lanka closed schools as its meteorological department warned that severe weather could trigger flash floods and landslides.
In Nepal, disaster management authorities warned that the storm system could move inland towards the Himalayas, bringing heavy rainfall and increasing the risk of heavy snowfall, snowstorms and avalanches.
Nepal is still recovering from a devastating flood on August 26, reportedly triggered by a glacial collapse in the mountains. The disaster killed more than 1,400 people, while over 5,000 others remained missing, according to the figures cited in the report.
