Severe cyclonic storm Arnab, which formed in the Bay of Bengal, has reached the coast of India’s Andhra Pradesh near Yanam in Puducherry and has begun to make landfall. Moving towards the coast faster than expected, the storm was forecast by the India Meteorological Department to cross land between 2am and 4am on Wednesday. Its outer cloud bands have already moved over land, bringing heavy rain and strong gusts to coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh.
According to the department’s latest bulletin, at 11:30pm on Tuesday the centre of the cyclone was about 50 km south-east of Narsapur in Andhra Pradesh, 70 km south of Kakinada and 200 km south-southwest of Visakhapatnam. It was moving west-northwest at about 22 km an hour. It may cross the coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to the south of Yanam, on Wednesday morning.
The department said maximum sustained winds near the centre could be 125 to 135 km an hour at landfall, with gusts of up to 150 km an hour. Heavy to very heavy rain is expected in coastal Andhra Pradesh, and the sea will be very rough.
The department warned that storm surge could flood low-lying coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh. A surge of 1.5 to 2.5 metres above normal tide is possible around Kakinada and Yanam, and of 2 to 3.5 metres at the mouth of the Godavari river.
Thousands in shelters
The Andhra Pradesh government had prepared extensively for the cyclone. At least 89,000 people have been moved from vulnerable and low-lying areas, the news agency AP reported. More than 2,000 shelters have been readied in 20 districts. Indian media also reported that more than 30,000 fishing boats have been moved to safety and about 1,100 medical teams deployed.
The state’s chief minister, N Chandrababu Naidu, has told the administration to stay on alert. Priority has been given to moving older people, children, people with disabilities and pregnant women to safety. Residents of coastal areas have been told to stay in shelters during the storm and not to go out unless necessary.
Arnab is also expected to bring heavy rain and squalls to coastal areas of neighbouring Odisha, where the state administration has prepared to evacuate people from vulnerable areas. Warnings have been stepped up to limit damage. Although the leading edge of the cyclone has reached land, the department’s next bulletin will confirm whether the storm has fully crossed the coast.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report