official (India Meteorological Department, National Bulletin No. 11 on Cyclonic Storm Arnab, Oct 26)
Cyclone Arnab takes aim at India's Andhra Pradesh coast, and a red message is out
The storm is still days from land, and it is getting stronger. India's weather office expects Arnab to strike the Andhra Pradesh coast near Yanam on Wednesday morning as a very severe cyclonic storm.
Key facts
- Bulletin
- National Bulletin No. 11, issued 1700 IST (11:30 UTC, 7:30 AM ET) Oct 26; position as of 1430 IST (IMD)
- Position
- 15.5N 87.8E, 520 km southeast of Gopalpur, Odisha, and 540 km east southeast of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh (IMD)
- Movement
- West northwest at 13 km/h over the past 6 hours (IMD)
- Strength
- Cyclonic storm, with gale winds of 65 to 75 km/h gusting to 85 km/h over the eastcentral Bay; forecast to become a severe cyclonic storm by the evening of Oct 26 and a very severe cyclonic storm on Oct 27 (IMD)
- Landfall
- Expected to cross the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to Yanam, by the forenoon of Oct 28, with winds of 115 to 125 km/h gusting to 140 km/h (IMD)
- Storm surge
- 1.0 to 1.5 m above astronomical tide in low lying areas of Andhra Pradesh at landfall; peak surge over East Godavari district near Kakinada and Yanam (IMD)
- Rain
- Heavy to very heavy rain of 7 to 20 cm at a few places and extremely heavy rain of 21 cm or more at isolated places over coastal Andhra Pradesh on Oct 27 and 28 (IMD)
- JTWC
- Tropical Cyclone 02B, 65 kt one minute winds at 06 UTC Oct 26, forecast to peak near 110 kt within 24 hours (JTWC warning 2)
Total destruction of thatched houses/ extensive damage to kutcha houses.
India Meteorological Department, expected impact over coastal Andhra Pradesh, National Bulletin 11, Oct 26
Note
India's weather office has raised its highest level of cyclone warning, a red message, for the coasts of Andhra Pradesh and adjoining south Odisha as Cyclonic Storm Arnab moves west northwest across the Bay of Bengal.
In its National Bulletin 11, the India Meteorological Department said Arnab was centered near 15.5N 87.8E at 1430 IST on Oct 26 and very likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by that evening and a very severe cyclonic storm on Oct 27. It expects the storm to cross the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to Yanam, by the forenoon of Oct 28, with maximum sustained winds of 115 to 125 km/h gusting to 140 km/h.
The bulletin warns of a storm surge of 1.0 to 1.5 m that is very likely to flood low lying areas of Andhra Pradesh at landfall, with the peak over East Godavari district near Kakinada and Yanam. It forecasts extremely heavy rain of 21 cm or more at isolated places over coastal Andhra Pradesh on Oct 27 and 28, with heavy rain spreading into Odisha, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and beyond as the storm weakens inland.
The US Joint Typhoon Warning Center, which tracks the storm as Tropical Cyclone 02B, put its one minute winds at 65 kt at 06 UTC and forecast a peak near 110 kt within 24 hours. The two agencies measure wind differently, so their numbers do not match one to one.
Fishermen are advised not to go into the westcentral Bay of Bengal from Oct 26 to 29, the bulletin says.
Why it matters
The Andhra Pradesh coast near Kakinada and Yanam is low lying and densely settled, and the weather office expects the strongest winds, the highest surge and the heaviest rain to arrive there together on Wednesday morning. It warns of damage to houses, power and communication poles and crops, and says fishermen should not go to sea.
Sources
- India Meteorological Department: National Bulletin No. 11 (BOB/08/2026), Cyclonic Storm Arnab (Oct 26 2026)
- India Meteorological Department, RSMC New Delhi: cyclone warnings and bulletins
- US Joint Typhoon Warning Center: Tropical Cyclone 02B (Arnab) warning 2 (Oct 26 2026)
Primary + secondary attribution as listed.
More: Hurricanes & typhoons
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