Very severe cyclonic storm Arnab was roughly 220 km off Visakhapatnam and 240 km from Kakinada at 8.30 a.m. on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The storm is forecast to cross the coast near Yanam, between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, by Wednesday forenoon. The IMD has lifted its wind estimate to 125–135 kmph, with gusts reaching 150 kmph, up from an earlier projection of 115–125 kmph and gusts of 140 kmph, The Hindu reports.
In the six hours before that 8.30 a.m. position, the system had been closing on the coast at about 20 kmph. Seas along the Visakhapatnam coast were rough to very rough on Tuesday morning, with high waves striking the beach and the fishing harbour.
Why it matters
The revised wind figure puts the storm at the upper end of what the coast has been preparing for, and the expected crossing point sits close to the Godavari-Krishna delta, a densely populated farming belt. K. Nagaratna, director of the IMD centre in Amaravati, told ANI that the cyclone could badly damage agricultural and horticultural crops as well as livestock, and that rail, road and air links were likely to be disrupted. She said onshore and offshore operations should be reviewed and suspended, and advised fishermen to stay off the sea on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Evacuations, closed schools and grounded flights
Andhra Pradesh and Odisha have shut schools, barred fishing and placed rescue teams on standby. About 89,000 people along the Kakinada coast are being shifted to 101 relief camps, while Odisha plans to move 48,000 people, according to The Hindu.
Visakhapatnam district collector Abhishikth Kishore said all city beaches have been closed and police are patrolling to keep people out of the water. After a review with officials by teleconference, he said five trees that came down in the city were cleared quickly and power restored at four locations soon after it failed.
Rising waves have already flooded coastal stretches of Uppada, Konapapet and Moolapet in Kakinada district, disrupting road links between Uppada and nearby villages and the city. Water has pushed towards homes near the shore, unsettling residents of those villages and Subbampet.
By noon on Tuesday, Visakhapatnam had recorded the heaviest rain in the state. Tulasi Nagar Park logged about 37 mm between 8.30 a.m. and noon and the 16th Police Battalion campus about 36 mm, figures from the Directorate of Economics and Statistics show, with most of it falling in the final hour.
Rail and air services hit
At least 61 trains have been cancelled so far, according to lists released by the railways. Fifty-three are passenger and MEMU services on Tuesday and Wednesday connecting Vijayawada with Machilipatnam, Gudivada, Narasapur, Bhimavaram, Rajahmundry, Kakinada Port, Guntur and Repalle — the delta area nearest the expected landfall. Trains between Kakinada Port and Visakhapatnam, and between Visakhapatnam and Parvatipuram, are also suspended on both days.
South Central Railway separately cancelled 11 trains for Tuesday and Wednesday. These include three services running from Hyderabad, Secunderabad and Mahbubnagar to Visakhapatnam; trains from Lingampalli to Kakinada Town, Kakinada Port and Narasapur; and the Secunderabad-Howrah and Secunderabad-Bhubaneswar New services. The Charlapalli-Srikakulam Road special and its return trip are off as well, and the Nagarsol-Narasapur train will terminate at Charlapalli. Passengers have been asked to confirm their train's status before travelling.
At Visakhapatnam's Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport, four Air India Express flights linking the city with Hyderabad and Bengaluru were cancelled on Tuesday, and four IndiGo flights were diverted, according to the airport's flight information page at noon. Several later departures were not listed as operating. The airport has urged travellers to check with their airline before setting out, leave extra time and contact carriers directly to rebook or cancel.
The Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority has published helpline numbers: the state control room on 112, 1070 and 1800 425 0101, and the "Mana Mitra" WhatsApp service on 9552300009.
Rain forecast spreads inland
Heavy rain is expected in parts of Odisha, West Bengal and Jharkhand over the next three days, The Hindu reports. In Chhattisgarh, the government has put every district collector on alert for heavy to extremely heavy rain on Wednesday and Thursday, officials said on Tuesday. The southern Bastar region — including Bijapur, Sukma, Dantewada, Bastar and Narayanpur districts — is braced for strong winds. Relief camps have been told to remain open around the clock, NDRF and SDRF teams are on standby, and health officials have been asked to compile lists of pregnant women who may need to be moved.
Odisha's Special Relief Commissioner has warned against circulating misleading information about the cyclone, The New Indian Express reported.
The next thing to watch is the storm's position through Tuesday night, as the IMD tracks whether the crossing point near Yanam holds and whether the wind forecast shifts again before landfall on Wednesday morning.
