Cyclone Arnab closing in on Andhra coast

Cyclone Arnab is expected to make landfall along India’s Andhra Pradesh coast tomorrow, with winds gusting up to 140 kmph.
The Centre has alerted Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Puducherry, with heavy rain forecast in the affected regions.
The Centre on Monday sounded an alert in four states and Puducherry and stepped up preparedness as Cyclone Arnab intensified over the Bay of Bengal and moved towards the Andhra Pradesh coast, where it is expected to make landfall on the morning of 28 October. Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Puducherry have been placed on alert.
In its morning bulletin on Monday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the cyclonic storm was centred over the east-central and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal at 5:30am. It was located around 650 km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam and was moving westwards at a speed of 15 kmph.
The storm is expected to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by Monday midnight and further strengthen into a very severe cyclonic storm on Tuesday.
According to the IMD, Arnab is forecast to cross the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to Yanam, by Tuesday afternoon. It is likely to bring sustained wind speeds of 115–125 kmph, with gusts reaching up to 140 kmph.

Amid the approaching storm, Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan chaired a meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) to assess preparedness and coordinate relief measures. Authorities in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have also been asked to remain vigilant in view of the forecast of heavy rainfall.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams have been deployed, with additional personnel kept on standby. The Army, Navy, Air Force and Indian Coast Guard have also kept their rescue and relief teams ready.