The India Meteorological Department has issued a warning for light to heavy rainfall in East Vidarbha.
A low-pressure area formed over the east-central Bay of Bengal on Friday (October 23). It intensified into the extremely severe cyclonic storm ‘Arnab’ on Tuesday (October 27). The cyclone made landfall between 2 am and 8 am on Wednesday, reaching the coastal areas and moving inland.
The centre of the storm was located 20 kilometres northeast of Narsapur in Andhra Pradesh, 60 kilometres southwest of Kakinada and 90 kilometres east of Machilipatnam.
As the severe cyclonic storm ‘Arnab’ moved over land, its intensity began to decrease. The system is expected to move northwards and northwestwards.
The cyclone brought torrential rainfall accompanied by winds blowing at speeds of 125 to 150 kmph across Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Several places in Andhra Pradesh recorded rainfall exceeding 200 millimetres, while Odisha received more than 150 millimetres of rain.
Very strong winds along the coast also triggered waves rising more than one metre.
The impact of the cyclonic system is expected to extend across Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar and East Vidarbha, where light to heavy rainfall is likely today (October 29).
Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh government has issued a high alert in view of the cyclone.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the preparedness and relief operations on Tuesday (October 27), interacting with around 32,000 officials and employees. Officials informed him that no loss of life had been reported so far.
With the possibility of crop damage due to the cyclone, alerts have been issued to 35.96 lakh farmers across the state.
The Agriculture and Horticulture departments have been directed to prepare preliminary estimates of crop damage and provide farmers with technical guidance and necessary assistance.
Authorities have also been instructed to take precautionary measures to prevent water from entering agricultural fields and to ensure that breaches do not occur in tanks and canals.
As ‘Arnab’ weakens after making landfall, rainfall remains a concern across several states, with East Vidarbha among the regions placed under a rain alert. The Andhra Pradesh government is also continuing its preparedness measures to address the potential impact on agriculture and infrastructure.
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