Cyclone Arnab Batters Andhra, Uproots Trees as Landfall Drags On

Cyclone Arnab uprooted trees, snapped power lines and blocked roads across coastal Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday as a prolonged landfall battered communities around the Godavari delta.

Konaseema district reported strong winds and heavy rainfall, while fallen trees and damaged electricity lines disrupted parts of Kakinada. In Visakhapatnam, uprooted trees obstructed Beach Road and Seethammadhara.

The storm’s slow movement kept the coast exposed to destructive weather through the early morning. Later reports put maximum sustained winds at 115–125 kmph, gusting to 140 kmph, below the earlier forecast of gusts reaching 150 kmph.

Landfall Enters Final Stages

An IMD bulletin issued at 7.30 am said Arnab’s centre had been over the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts, just south of Yanam, at 6.30 am. The remaining wall-cloud region was expected to move inland over the following hour, completing landfall.

The system was expected to move slowly northwestwards before turning north-northwestwards. A storm surge of 1–1.5 metres above the astronomical tide could inundate low-lying coastal areas, the report said, citing the bulletin.

These figures updated the earlier warning of sustained winds of 125–135 kmph and a surge of 1.5–2.5 metres.

In Konaseema, several areas were hit by falling trees as the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority monitored the cyclone’s movement and damage.

The rainfall extended beyond the immediate landfall zone. Several locations in Anakapalli and Visakhapatnam districts recorded more than 200 mm between 8.30 am on Tuesday and 3 am on Wednesday, according to the IMD figures carried by ANI. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reviewed conditions in cyclone-hit areas during a teleconference with officials at 6.15 am.

More Than 1.8 Lakh Evacuated

More than 180,000 people had been evacuated across Andhra Pradesh and Odisha ahead of the cyclone, Reuters reported. No deaths had been reported in either state at the time of its dispatch.

The agency also reported power disruptions, school closures and cancellations affecting some train and flight services. Operations at three Andhra Pradesh airports were suspended, it said, citing the civil aviation ministry.

Odisha’s preparations focused on the storm’s expected movement inland and the accompanying rainfall.

Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari reviewed readiness at the State Emergency Operation Centre on Wednesday, saying “zero casualties” remained the government’s objective, according to ANI.

Pujari said the system was expected to move towards Malkangiri after crossing the Andhra Pradesh coast. Authorities were monitoring its slow progress as heavy rain threatened areas beyond the coastal landfall zone.

The IMD had also issued a red warning for extremely heavy rainfall over coastal Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh for Wednesday, Akashvani reported.

With inputs from ANI & agencies