Bhubaneswar: Cyclonic storm ‘Arnab’ is now lying about 610 km southeast of Gopalpur, Odisha over the Bay of Bengal, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue a red warning for the Odisha coast.
The IMD said in its bulletin on Monday morning that a deep depression over the East-central and adjoining West-central Bay of Bengal intensified into cyclonic storm ‘Arnab’ and lay centered at 05:30 hours on October 26, about 610 km southeast of Gopalpur, 650 km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam and 590 km northwest of Sri Vijaya Puram.
It is very likely to move west-northwestwards and intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by midnight of October 26 and into a very severe cyclonic storm on October 27.Thereafter, it is very likely to cross the Andhra Pradesh-Yanam coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam as a very severe cyclonic storm with wind speed of 115-125 kmph gusting to 140 kmph by the forenoon of October 28.
Though landfall is expected in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha’s south coastal districts are also under red alert with forecast of heavy rainfall and strong winds from October 27.
