Cyclone Arnab crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast on October 28, bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall. The storm also claimed two lives.
Officials said a 53-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman died from electrocution in separate incidents in Andhra Pradesh after coming into contact with live electrical wires.
Arnab was the first cyclonic storm of 2026 in the North Indian Ocean region. It formed over the Bay of Bengal on October 26 and intensified rapidly.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), its wind speed increased by about 74 kilometres per hour within a day.
Based on data from the United States Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), the weather blog Vagaries of Weather described Arnab as the strongest post-monsoon cyclone in the Bay of Bengal since 2014.
At its peak on the evening of October 27, the IMD recorded sustained winds of 150-160 kilometres per hour, with gusts reaching 180 kilometres per hour.
The JTWC estimated peak sustained winds of approximately 222 kilometres per hour.
The difference reflects the agencies' methods of measuring wind speeds. The JTWC uses a one-minute average, while the IMD uses a three-minute average.
As Arnab approached the coast, it slowed considerably. At 6.30 am on October 28, the IMD reported that the cyclone was almost stationary.
A slow-moving cyclone can bring prolonged heavy rainfall to the same areas, increasing the risk of flooding.
Arnab crossed the coast between 2am and 8am on October 28, making landfall near Yanam, close to Narasapur and Kakinada.
Wind speeds at landfall reached 125–135 kilometres per hour, with gusts of up to 150 kilometres per hour.
By 8 am, the centre of the storm had moved completely inland.
Heavy rainfall was recorded across the region. Visakhapatnam received 217 millimetres, Kalingapatnam 147 millimetres and Tuni 123 millimetres.
The IMD warned of possible flash floods in coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, Odisha and Chhattisgarh until 11.30 pm on October 28.
Coastal flooding was also a concern, with seawater potentially reaching up to 480 metres inland in Yanam and 240 metres in Kakinada.
After landfall, Arnab began to weaken. By 8.30 am on October 28, it had weakened into a severe cyclonic storm.
The IMD forecast that the system would continue moving inland towards the north-north-west over the following two days.
It was expected to weaken into a cyclonic storm within six hours and subsequently into a deep depression over the next six hours.
Earlier forecasts also suggested that the remnants of Arnab could move towards Uttar Pradesh and Nepal, potentially bringing intense rainfall to these regions.