IMD Warns of Extremely Severe Cyclone Arnab, Heavy Rain Alerts
The India Meteorological Department has issued a fresh warning as Cyclonic Storm 'Arnab' gains strength over the Bay of Bengal. The storm has now been upgraded to an 'Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm'.
New Delhi, October 27: Over the last six hours, the storm moved west-northwest at 23 km per hour. Authorities are monitoring its path closely as it approaches the Indian coast.
The system began as a deep depression over the east-central and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal. It later drifted westward and turned into Cyclonic Storm 'Arnab'.
At 5:30 am IST on Monday, the storm was located over the east-central and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal. It lay about 590 km northwest of Sri Vijaya Puram in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and 650 km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam.
It was further away from Kakinada, Machilipatnam and Bapatla, at distances of 730 km, 830 km and 910 km respectively, all measured from the east.
On Tuesday, the department confirmed that the storm had continued its movement and intensified into an extremely severe cyclonic storm.
At 11:30 pm on Monday, the storm was centred near 15.9 degrees North latitude and 86.0 degrees East longitude. This position was about 400 km south-southeast of Gopalpur in Odisha, 350 km southeast of Visakhapatnam and 420 km east-southeast of Kakinada.
It was also around 520 km east of Machilipatnam, 590 km east of Bapatla and 870 km west-northwest of Sri Vijaya Puram.
Scientists have said the cyclone is very likely to keep moving west-northwest until Tuesday evening. It may then turn northwest and cross the coasts of Andhra Pradesh and Yanam by the morning of October 28, passing between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam near Yanam.
At the time of landfall, the storm is expected to remain extremely severe, with sustained winds of 115 to 125 km per hour. Gusts may reach 140 km per hour.
Heavy to very heavy rain is forecast in several regions. These include coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam on October 27 and 28, Odisha on October 28, Chhattisgarh on October 28 and 29, and eastern Uttar Pradesh on October 29.
Additional heavy to very heavy showers are expected in Odisha on October 27 and 29, Vidarbha and Telangana on October 28, East Madhya Pradesh and East Uttar Pradesh on October 30, Jharkhand on October 29, and Bihar on October 29 and 30.