Very severe cyclonic storm Arnab began making landfall early on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, near Yanam, close to Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh. The landfall stretch lies between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, putting a long section of the Andhra coast directly in the path of the storm as it crossed from the Bay of Bengal onto land. For coastal communities that had spent the previous day preparing for impact, Wednesday marked the moment the cyclone itself arrived, rather than merely approached.
The India Meteorological Department said the storm was carrying sustained winds of 125 to 135 kilometres per hour, with gusts reaching up to 150 kilometres per hour. Winds of that strength can uproot trees and damage weak structures, and officials had warned that the hours around landfall would be the most dangerous phase of the cyclone. The landfall process itself was expected to take several hours to complete, running into the morning and afternoon.
At one stage the storm had become practically stationary, with its centre still over the Bay of Bengal, a pattern that prolonged the period of strong winds and heavy rain over the coast. A slow-moving cyclone can be particularly punishing for low-lying areas, because rain keeps falling over the same districts and the sea remains rough for longer. That slow movement was one of the reasons officials urged people in vulnerable areas not to treat any temporary lull as a sign that the danger had passed.
More than 180,000 people were evacuated in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha ahead of the storm, in one of the largest precautionary movements of the season. Families from low-lying coastal villages and areas close to the sea were shifted to cyclone shelters and other safe buildings.
So far, no loss of life has been reported, a fact officials will be keen to preserve as the storm moves inland and damage assessments begin. Power supply has been disrupted in affected areas, trees and electric poles have been uprooted, and crop damage has been reported. The Godavari districts are among the worst affected, and low-lying areas of Konaseema have been inundated, underlining how quickly waterlogging can follow a cyclone even in areas that escape the worst of the wind.
A red alert for extremely heavy rain remains in force for parts of Andhra Pradesh, while heavy rain warnings have been extended to Odisha, Telangana and Jharkhand as the system moves on. A storm surge of 1 to 1.5 metres above the normal tide is likely near Kakinada and Yanam, raising the risk of seawater entering low-lying coastal areas. Residents in those pockets have been advised to remain alert to rising water levels and to follow instructions from local authorities rather than attempting to move through flooded roads on their own.
Operations at three airports in Andhra Pradesh have been suspended as a precaution, disrupting air travel in the region until conditions improve. On the ground, the state administration said 2,199 cyclone shelters had been identified, and 2,360 pregnant women had been shifted to medical facilities ahead of the storm.
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is monitoring the situation, with the state machinery on alert across the coastal districts. People have been advised to stay indoors, postpone non-essential travel and avoid venturing near the sea until the storm has fully crossed the coast and authorities give the all-clear. As the landfall process completes and the cyclone weakens over land, the focus will shift to restoring power, clearing roads, assessing crop and property damage, and ensuring that those in shelters can return home safely once conditions allow.
