On a Monday morning in late October 2026, the India Meteorological Department confirmed that a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal had grown into a cyclonic storm named Arnab, a reminder of how quickly the sea can gather itself into menace. Its path points toward the coasts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, where fishing villages and district offices are already turning their attention from ordinary routine to the careful work of readiness. Yet the storm is still an unfinished story, one whose strength and landfall hour remain open questions for the bulletins that follow. Along the same weeks,
Cyclone Arnab Forms Over Bay of Bengal as Andhra Pradesh and Odisha Prepare for October 28 Landfall
Nilgiris district saw 62 landslips, 15 huts partly damaged, one hut collapsed, and 28 trees uprooted in 24 hours.
Control rooms are set up before any major rain has fallen
Mark
Arnab was a deep depression on Sunday and a cyclone by Monday morning. Why does that speed matter?
Mimi
Because officials in Kakinada are already acting on a forecast, not on rain. The fishers have been called back from October 27, and control rooms are set up before any major rain has fallen.
Luke
Worth noting that as of 8.30 a.m. Monday, no major rainfall had been reported in Andhra Pradesh. The preparation is for something forecast, not something that has arrived.
Mark
What exactly is forecast?
Mimi
A severe cyclonic storm by Monday midnight, a very severe one by Tuesday, and a crossing around October 28 on the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coast.
Luke
Those are IMD projections, phrased as 'likely'. One report says noon, another says morning for landfall. The exact time isn't settled, and intensity could change.
Mark
The wind figures are specific, though.
Mimi
115 to 125 kmph, gusting to 140. Those are the expected figures at landfall.
Luke
Expected, yes. Not measured. And Odisha is described as on alert, but the source gives no Odisha-specific measures.
Mark
And the Nilgiris and Chennai damage?
Mimi
That's from earlier rain, not the cyclone. 62 landslips in the Nilgiris, 43 km of Chennai roads damaged.
Luke
Right, so nobody should read that as Arnab's toll. The cyclone hasn't made landfall.
El Pulso
- Cyclonic storm Arnab, intensifying from a sluggish depression, is forecast to become very severe before crossing the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coast around October 28.
- Kakinada fishers have been told to suspend fishing from October 27 and bring boats back to landing centres as the sea turns hostile.
- Control rooms have been set up at the Collectorate and every mandal headquarters, and relief camps identified, while officials are told to cancel leave and stay on duty.
- Fuel and gas cylinder supplies are being secured across the coastal districts, with Odisha also on high alert for the storm's reach.
- In the Nilgiris, 62 landslips, a collapsed hut and dozens of uprooted trees have left families and services scrambling, while Chennai crews rush cold mix to repair water-damaged roads.
On a Monday morning in late October 2026, the India Meteorological Department confirmed that a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal had grown into a cyclonic storm named Arnab, a reminder of how quickly the sea can gather itself into menace. Its path points toward the coasts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, where fishing villages and district offices are already turning their attention from ordinary routine to the careful work of readiness. Yet the storm is still an unfinished story, one whose strength and landfall hour remain open questions for the bulletins that follow. Along the same weeks, Tamil Nadu is quietly mending its own wounds from rain, reminding us that nature's stress arrives in many forms at once.
At 8.20 on Monday morning, October 26, the India Meteorological Department's Amaravati office confirmed that a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal had become a cyclonic storm, now named Arnab. It had been drifting westward at a modest pace, but forecasters expect it to strengthen, turn west-northwest, and become a very severe cyclonic storm by Tuesday. Landfall is expected around noon on October 28 on the Andhra Pradesh coast, including Yanam, with winds of 115 to 125 kmph gusting to 140 kmph. Odisha's coast is also on high alert.
On the Kakinada coast, fisherfolk have been asked to suspend fishing from October 27 and return to their landing centres. Joint Collector Apoorva Bharat has ordered officials to defer leave and remain on call through the cyclone period. Control rooms now operate at the Collectorate and every mandal headquarters, relief camps have been identified, and the fuel and gas supply chain is being secured. East Godavari is stepping up its own readiness.
Farther south, Tamil Nadu is still recovering from this week's rain, which is separate from the cyclone. In the Nilgiris, 62 landslips hit in one day, leaving 15 huts partly damaged, one collapsed, and 28 trees uprooted. In Chennai, crews have mobilised 5,000 bags of cold mix to patch roads, with the Velachery-Tambaram Road taking priority after a water pipeline cut. The coming IMD bulletins will show whether Arnab reaches its expected strength and whether the timing holds.
At 8.20 on Monday morning, October 26, 2026, the India Meteorological Department's Amaravati office issued a bulletin confirming that a deep depression over the Eastcentral and adjoining Southeast Bay of Bengal had become a cyclonic storm. Its name is Arnab. Over the previous six hours it had moved nearly westwards at 15 kmph, and it was then centred over the Eastcentral and adjoining Westcentral Bay of Bengal.
The forecast calls for further strengthening. The IMD expects the storm to turn west-northwestwards and become a severe cyclonic storm over the westcentral Bay of Bengal by Monday midnight. By Tuesday, October 27, it is likely to be a very severe cyclonic storm over the same waters. The department says it should cross the coast by noon on October 28. Another report puts landfall on the morning of that day, with winds of 115 to 125 kmph gusting to 140 kmph. The coastal regions of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha are on high alert, and the Andhra crossing is expected to include Yanam.
The storm's position a day earlier shows how quickly it has developed. In the IMD's Sunday evening bulletin, the system was a depression that had moved southwestwards at just 5 kmph before intensifying into a deep depression. It lay about 420 km north-northwest of Sri Vijaya Puram in the Andaman Islands and about 870 km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam.
As of 8.30 a.m. Monday, no major rainfall had been reported from Andhra Pradesh, and the IMD had issued no major rainfall alerts for the day. The weather is expected to change from October 27.
Preparations are already under way along the Kakinada coast. Fisherfolk have been told to suspend fishing because of the heavy rain and strong winds expected from October 27, and those at sea have been asked to return to their fish landing centres. Kakinada Joint Collector Apoorva Bharat has told officials to defer their leave and remain available through the cyclone period until further instructions. Revenue, Civil Supplies and Fisheries officials have been asked to ensure adequate fuel at filling stations and to deliver gas cylinders within two days. Control rooms have been set up at the Collectorate and every mandal headquarters, and relief camps have been identified. East Godavari district is also stepping up its readiness.
Farther south, Tamil Nadu is dealing with damage from this week's rain, separate from the cyclone. In the Nilgiris, 62 landslips struck in the 24 hours ending at 7 a.m. on Sunday, October 25, after a light to moderate spell of rain. District administration data show 15 huts partly damaged, one hut fully collapsed and 16 revetments damaged. Two high-tension poles, nine low-tension poles and a distribution transformer were damaged, and 28 trees were uprooted. Travel and tourism were disrupted and some services suspended.
In Chennai, the Highways Department has kept 5,000 bags of cold mix ready to repair rain-damaged roads. Of the 650 km of roads under Chennai City roads, 43 km have been damaged, mostly by water stagnation or by rainwater falling from Metrorail pillars. Moovarasampet and Nanmangalam, which lack storm water drains, have suffered significantly. Priority has gone to Major Mukund Varadarajan Road, the Velachery-Tambaram Road, where an 800-metre cut was made for a 2-metre-diameter water pipeline laid by the CMWSSB and has to be restored. A department source said men and machinery have been mobilised and that crews are filling potholes temporarily while they wait for a dry spell before using wet mixes.
The next IMD bulletins will show whether Arnab reaches very severe strength and whether the landfall timing holds.
Citas Notables
Officials have been told to defer leave and stay available through the cyclone period until further instructions.— Kakinada Joint Collector Apoorva Bharat (paraphrased)
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