- Cyclone Arnab intensifies, red alert issued for coastal Andhra.
- Forecasted to make landfall on Andhra coast October 28.
- Heavy rainfall, strong winds expected; disaster teams deployed.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for coastal Andhra Pradesh and adjoining southern Odisha after a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a cyclonic storm named Arnab. The storm is forecast to strengthen into a very severe cyclonic storm before crossing the Andhra Pradesh coast on the morning of October 28.
In a bulletin issued on Monday morning, the IMD said the system was moving westwards and was expected to intensify further over the west-central Bay of Bengal. It could develop into a severe cyclonic storm by midnight on October 26 and a very severe cyclonic storm on October 27.
The cyclone is likely to cross the coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, along the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coast, on the morning of October 28. Wind speeds during landfall could reach 115-125 kmph, with gusts of up to 140 kmph.
Cyclone Arnab: Where Is The Storm Now?
According to the IMD, the deep depression over the east-central and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal moved westwards at around 15 kmph over the six hours before the Monday morning bulletin. It intensified into Cyclone Arnab and was centred over the east-central and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal at 5:30 am on October 26.
At that time, the system was approximately 590 km northwest of Sri Vijaya Puram in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 610 km southeast of Gopalpur in Odisha and 650 km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.
It was also located around 730 km east-southeast of Kakinada, 830 km east of Machilipatnam and 910 km east of Bapatla, all in Andhra Pradesh.
The IMD has forecast that the storm will continue moving west-northwestwards, intensifying into a severe cyclonic storm by midnight on October 26 and potentially becoming a very severe cyclonic storm on October 27.
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Heavy Rain, Strong Winds Forecast In Coastal Andhra
The Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) has warned that the next three days will be critical as Cyclone Arnab approaches the coast.
APSDMA Managing Director Prakhar Jain has urged people to strictly follow safety precautions. Strong winds are expected to begin affecting coastal areas from the morning of October 27.
The IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in northern Andhra Pradesh and the central coastal districts on October 27 and 28. Isolated areas could receive extremely heavy rainfall during this period.
Kakinada, Anakapalli, Visakhapatnam, Konaseema and East Godavari are among the districts expected to be affected by strong winds and heavy rain. Rainfall intensity is likely to remain high across northern Andhra Pradesh and the central coastal belt over the two days.
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Chandrababu Naidu Reviews Cyclone Preparedness
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reviewed preparations on Sunday to deal with the approaching cyclone, including plans to evacuate people from vulnerable areas and establish relief centres.
He also reviewed arrangements for food, drinking water, medical assistance and the restoration of electricity supply.
Naidu directed all government departments to coordinate their efforts to tackle the threat posed by Cyclone Arnab.
As part of the response, 10 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 11 teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are being deployed for relief and rescue operations.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: abplive.com
