Cyclone Arnab Landfall Explained: 135 Kmph Winds on the Andhra-Yanam Coast, Red Alert, Evacuations and What Comes Next
Key Takeaways
- Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Arnab began landfall early on 28 October 2026 between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to the south of Yanam, with sustained winds of 125-135 kmph and gusts to 150 kmph.
- The IMD warned of a 1.5 to 2.5 metre storm surge near Kakinada and Yanam, and more than 200 mm of rain had already fallen in parts of Anakapalli and Visakhapatnam before landfall finished.
- Eleven Andhra Pradesh districts were under a red alert for 28 October, and more than 89,000 people were evacuated to over 2,000 cyclone shelters across 20 districts.
- Twelve NDRF and ten SDRF teams were deployed, all 30,043 fishing boats returned to harbour, and 53 train services were cancelled on 27 and 28 October.
- As Arnab weakens inland, the main threat shifts to heavy rain and flooding in Odisha, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and eastern Uttar Pradesh.
What Happened on 28 October 2026
Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Arnab began making landfall early on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, along the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the landfall process was under way in the early hours of the morning, with the storm crossing the coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to the south of Yanam. At landfall, Arnab carried maximum sustained winds of 125 to 135 kilometres per hour, with gusts reaching 150 kilometres per hour.
The IMD said in its hourly bulletin that the landfall process would continue for about three more hours after it began, and that surface winds over the landfall area would hold at 125 to 135 kilometres per hour, gusting to 150 kilometres per hour, during that period before gradually decreasing. The storm had moved northwestwards at about 3 kilometres per hour in the hours before landfall, and was expected to move slowly northwestwards at first and then track north-northwestwards as it moved inland and weakened.
At 11.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 27 October, the system 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. By the time landfall began, the centre had closed to around 30 kilometres from Narsapur and 55 kilometres from Yanam, according to Prakhar Jain, Managing Director of the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA). The storm was being tracked continuously by the Doppler Weather Radar at Machilipatnam.
Early reports from the coast described the damage that such winds cause even before the full picture emerges. Trees were uprooted and power lines snapped in several places in Kakinada district, and heavy rain and gusty winds uprooted trees in Visakhapatnam, blocking Beach Road and Seethammadhara. Heavy rain accompanied by gusty winds also lashed parts of West Bengal as an effect of the cyclone, even though the storm itself was crossing the Andhra coast.
Why Arnab Was Rated a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm
The IMD classifies a cyclonic storm as "very severe" when its maximum sustained wind speeds reach 118 to 165 kilometres per hour. Arnab reached that category over the Bay of Bengal before approaching the coast. On 27 October, the IMD's bulletins tracked it as a very severe cyclonic storm moving west-northwestwards, and forecast that it would cross the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts by the forenoon of 28 October.
Two features of Arnab made it particularly dangerous. The first was the wind itself: sustained winds above 120 kilometres per hour are strong enough to uproot trees, snap power lines, damage thatched and weaker houses, and tear off roofs. The second was water. The IMD issued a storm surge warning of 1.5 to 2.5 metres above the astronomical tide, very likely to submerge low-lying areas of coastal Andhra Pradesh during the four to five hours around landfall, with the maximum peak surge expected near Kakinada and Yanam. On top of the surge, the IMD forecast extremely heavy rainfall: more than 200 millimetres of rain was recorded at several places in Anakapalli and Visakhapatnam districts between 8.30 a.m. on 27 October and 3 a.m. on 28 October, before the storm had even finished crossing the coast.
Forecasters had first expected landfall later in the morning of 28 October, but a late-evening IMD update on 27 October said the storm was moving faster than expected and was likely to cross the coast earlier, in the early hours between about 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. That change is a reminder of why cyclone bulletins are updated every few hours: a storm's speed and track can shift, and the safest advice is always the latest official bulletin, not an earlier forecast.
The Red Alert and the Preparations Before Landfall
The IMD placed 11 Andhra Pradesh districts under a red alert for 28 October: Eluru, NTR, Krishna, Konaseema, Kakinada, East Godavari, West Godavari, Guntur, Alluri Sitharama Raju, Anakapalli and Visakhapatnam. Extremely heavy rainfall was forecast in parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh, with heavy rain also expected in Odisha, Telangana and Chhattisgarh as the system moved inland.
The Andhra Pradesh government moved on a large scale before the storm arrived. It released about Rs 27 crore to 20 districts for relief and emergency response, with about Rs 2 crore each going to the most vulnerable coastal districts, including Bapatla, Krishna, Konaseema, East Godavari, West Godavari, Kakinada and Anakapalli. More than 2,000 cyclone shelters were opened across 20 districts, and more than 89,000 people were evacuated from vulnerable coastal areas. The state identified 2,199 cyclone shelters in its planning, and moved pregnant women due to deliver soon into medical facilities as a precaution.
Rescue and relief forces were positioned in advance. Twelve National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams and ten State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams were assigned to the districts, alongside police, fire services and medical teams, with the Navy and Coast Guard ready to assist. More than 8,400 power restoration workers were mobilised, along with medical teams, ambulances, water tankers and generators. All 30,043 fishing boats had returned to harbour before the storm, and fishermen were advised to stay ashore until 29 October. Ports hoisted danger signals, and the South Coast Railway cancelled 53 train services on 27 and 28 October as a precaution.
In neighbouring Odisha, schools in six southern districts were closed as a precaution, and the state braced for heavy rainfall and strong winds even though the storm was not forecast to make landfall there. Odisha's disaster teams were deployed in vulnerable areas, and boat services on Chilika Lake were suspended. The pattern is familiar for Bay of Bengal cyclones: the landfall state takes the direct hit, but the rain and wind spread across several states as the system weakens inland.
What Happens Next: Inland Rain, Flooding and Restoration
A cyclone does not end at landfall. As Arnab moves inland and weakens, its main threat shifts from wind to rain. The IMD forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall across coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam on 27 and 28 October, in Odisha on 28 October, in Chhattisgarh on 28 and 29 October, and in eastern Uttar Pradesh on 29 October. That inland rain is what causes most cyclone-related flooding: rivers swell, low-lying areas stay waterlogged, and standing crops can be damaged.
For coastal Andhra Pradesh, the immediate tasks after landfall are clearing roads blocked by fallen trees, restoring power lines, pumping out waterlogged areas, and checking the condition of houses, fishing boats and standing crops. The state government has said its priority is zero casualties, and the large-scale evacuation before landfall was designed to achieve that. The fuller damage assessment, including any loss of life, will only be known once teams can reach all affected areas and power and communications are restored.
Residents in the affected districts have been advised to stay indoors while the cyclone crosses the coast, to postpone travel, to stay away from the sea, rivers, tanks and structurally weak buildings, and to follow only official alerts from the IMD and the State Disaster Management Authority. Rumours and old videos circulate quickly during cyclones, so checking the latest IMD bulletin and the district administration's announcements matters more than forwarded messages.
Why the Bay of Bengal Produces Such Strong Storms
The Bay of Bengal is one of the world's most cyclone-prone basins, and the post-monsoon months of October and November are its most active season. Warm sea surface temperatures in the bay supply the heat and moisture that power a cyclone, and the shape of the bay can funnel storm surges towards the coast. Andhra Pradesh and Odisha have faced several major cyclones in recent decades, and the state's investment in shelters, early warnings and evacuation planning is a direct response to that history.
Two things have changed the outcome of Indian cyclones in recent years. The first is forecasting: satellite tracking, Doppler radars and computer models now give several days of warning, which is why Arnab's track was known well before landfall. The second is preparedness: evacuation of coastal residents, pre-positioned rescue teams, and stockpiled food, water and medicines have repeatedly kept death tolls far lower than in past disasters. The remaining risk is concentrated in property, crops, fishing boats and infrastructure, and in flooding after the storm moves inland.
Conclusion
Cyclone Arnab's landfall on the morning of 28 October 2026 was a major weather event for coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam, with winds of 125 to 135 kilometres per hour, gusts to 150 kilometres per hour, a storm surge of up to 2.5 metres, and extremely heavy rainfall. The scale of the preparations, from more than 89,000 evacuations to the deployment of NDRF and SDRF teams and the cancellation of 53 trains, shows how seriously the state and the IMD treated the threat.
The next few days will tell the fuller story: how much damage the wind and water caused, how quickly power and transport return, and how the inland rain affects Odisha, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and eastern Uttar Pradesh. For now, the key message for anyone in the affected region is simple: stay indoors until the all-clear, avoid flooded roads and damaged power lines, and follow official IMD and district updates rather than rumours.