Cyclone Arnab has killed seven people in India’s Andhra Pradesh state, triggered heavy rain across eastern India and disrupted transport, while authorities remain on alert for further rainfall.
The deaths in Andhra Pradesh were caused by falling trees, electrocution, wall collapses and other cyclone-related incidents, officials said. According to a live report by The Indian Express , the storm made landfall over a six-hour period between 2am and 8am on October 29, crossing the coast between Andhra Pradesh and Yanam.
The cyclone weakened from a very severe cyclonic storm to a severe cyclonic storm after making landfall near Yanam in Puducherry. It was expected to weaken further into a cyclonic storm and then a deep depression by Thursday evening.
Hundreds of villages across more than 10 districts in Andhra Pradesh, including Eluru, West Godavari and Vizianagaram, bore the brunt of the storm. Rainfall of 200mm was recorded in low-lying areas.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking a central team to assess the damage caused by the cyclone. More than 180,000 people had been evacuated in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha ahead of the storm’s arrival.
Operations at three airports in Andhra Pradesh were suspended, the Civil Aviation Ministry said.
Bhubaneswar airport director Prasanna Pradhan said flight operations were largely normal, although a nine-seater service on the Bhubaneswar-Jeypore-Visakhapatnam route was cancelled.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said preparations and evacuations had helped the state achieve its “zero casualty” objective.
Koraput MP Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka urged the Odisha Public Service Commission to reschedule the Odisha Civil Services Mains examination at the Jeypore centre because of cyclone-related disruptions.
In West Bengal, the India Meteorological Department forecast heavy rainfall in parts of the state until October 31. Schools remained closed in several Chhattisgarh districts, including Sukma, Narayanpur, Bijapur, Dantewada and Rajnandgaon.
Fishermen return to sea in Tamil Nadu
Fibre boat fishermen in Tamil Nadu’s Thoothukudi district returned to sea on Thursday, resuming fishing after remaining ashore for three days following severe weather warnings triggered by Cyclone Arnab. Fishing activities had been suspended as a precaution because of hazardous coastal conditions.
Rain began in Gangtok and surrounding areas of Sikkim under the influence of Cyclone Arnab. The India Meteorological Department forecast light to moderate showers across the state, with isolated heavy rainfall expected as the remnant weather system moved inland across eastern India.
Rain and thunderstorms forecast in Delhi-NCR
The India Meteorological Department issued a yellow alert for rain, thunderstorms and lightning on October 29 across Central, East, North, North-West and South Delhi, as well as Gautam Buddha Nagar, Ghaziabad and Faridabad.
Heavy rain eases in Odisha’s Rayagada
Heavy rainfall eased in Odisha’s Rayagada district on Wednesday as Cyclone Arnab weakened, although emergency response teams remained on alert.
Rayagada District Collector Ashutosh Kulkarni said the district recorded 40mm of rain in the 24 hours ending at 8:30am on Wednesday, followed by another 26mm through the evening. He said the immediate threat had subsided as rainfall eased, but administrative departments remained mobilised and prepared for possible further showers.
