Cyclone Arnab: very heavy rainfall batters northern districts of A.P., one dead

High waves lashing the Visakhapatnam coast on Tuesday, as vesry severe cyclonic storm ‘Arnab’ approaches the Andhra Pradeshcoast. | Photo Credit: K R Deepak Very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall pounded the northern districts of Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, leaving one dead and a trail of destruction, after the severe cyclonic storm ‘Arnab’ intensified into the ‘very severe cyclonic storm’ on the intervening night of October 26 and 27.According to realtime information from the Directorate of Economics and Statistics (DES), Jathara premises in Visakhapatnam rural mandal recorded the day’s highest rainfall of 141.75 mm between 8.30 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Visakhapatnam district, where many places recorded rainfall above 100 mm and strong winds, bore the brunt of the cyclone impact. At least 200 trees were uprooted within the city limits.A 65-year-old man died at Mangalapalem after he allegedly came into contact with live electrical wires that had snapped and fallen into water. The districts of Vizianagaram, Anakapalli and Srikakulam also recorded widespread rainfall of above 80 mm until 7 p.m. on Tuesday.As per the latest information from the IMD, the storm over the west-central Bay of Bengal is moving at a speed higher than expected. As of 5.30 p.m., it was located around 90 km southeast of Kakinada, 170 km south of Visakhapatnam, 170 km east of Machilipatnam, 240 km east-northeast of Bapatla, and 380 km south-southwest of Gopalpur in Odisha.India Meteorological Department (IMD), Amaravati, Director K. Nagaratnam, who is monitoring the cyclone situation along with her team from Vijayawada, said the rainfall activity, which centred in northern districts in the morning, would be shifting to the districts of Kakinada, West and East Godavari, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema by Tuesday night, when the system moves northwestwards towards Yanam.Initially, the IMD had said the landfall would be around forenoon on Wednesday. But, according to the latest information, the storm is likely to make landfall around 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. on Wednesday, near Yanam-Kakinada region, with the maximum speed of 150 kmph, she said, adding that these districts may experience the maximum impact.21 flights cancelledDue to the increasing severity of the storm on Tuesday, airlines cancelled at least 21 flights in Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam. At Vijayawada airport, five flights, bound for Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Visakhapatnam and Kadapa were cancelled on Tuesday. The authorities have cancelled all flights on Wednesday as well.Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said 290 cyclone shelters had been set up and 84,396 people evacuated to safer locations. More than 30,000 fishing boats had been brought back from the sea, while 93 Andhra Pradesh boats and their crews were reported safe at Gopalpur in Odisha.The State has mobilised 8,400 personnel to respond to electricity disruptions and prepared for the possible collapse of up to 15,000 power poles. National and State Disaster Response Force teams, the Navy and the Coast Guard had also been alerted.Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) Managing Director Prakhar Jain alerted the public, as extremely heavy rain was expected on Tuesday night in the districts of Kakinada, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema, and Anakapalli.In cases of emergency, one can dial tollfree helplines 1070, 112, or 18004250101. Published - October 27, 2026 11:31 pm IST