Bhubaneswar: The first cyclone of this year has formed over the Bay of Bengal. The system intensified into a cyclonic storm this morning, informed the India Meteorological Department.
As per IMD, the system is likely to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm by tonight and into a very severe cyclonic storm by tomorrow, October 27. Cyclone Arnab is moving west-northwestwards at a speed of 15 km per hour.
As of this morning, the system lay centred over the east-central and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal.
The IMD has forecast that the cyclone will move northwestwards and reach the west-central Bay of Bengal near the Andhra Pradesh coast around the morning of October 28. It is very likely to cross the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam as a very severe cyclonic storm with maximum sustained wind speeds of 115-125 kmph gusting to 140 kmph.
“The Deep Depression over Eastcentral and adjoining Southeast Bay of Bengal moved nearly westwards with a speed of 15 kmph during last 6 hours, intensified into cyclonic storm ““Arnab” [Pronunciation :Ornab]” and lay centered at 0530 hrs IST of today, the 26th October, 2026 over Eastcentral and adjoining Westcentral Bay of Bengal near latitude 15.4°N and longitude 88.9°E, about 590 km northwest of Sri Vijaya Puram (Andaman Islands), 650 km east-southeast of Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), 730 km east-southeast of Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh), 830 km east of Machilipatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and 910 km east of Bapatla (Andhra Pradesh)”, read IMD’s bulletin.
Meanwhile, coastal districts of North Andhra Pradesh and South Odisha have been placed on high alert, with heavy to very heavy rainfall warnings issued through October 29.
