Cyclone Arnab Landfall: Trains, flights cancelled; Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal on alert - Top updates

Landfall is the stage when a tropical cyclone’s center reaches and crosses a coastline. It matters because the storm’s strongest winds, rain, and coastal flooding threats begin affecting land directly. The storm can continue damaging areas even after its center moves inland.

The IMD said Cyclone Arnab started making landfall between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, to the south of Yanam. The process was expected to continue for about three hours. At that time, the cyclone had core winds of 125–135 kmph and gusts up to 150 kmph.

The storm had already uprooted trees and snapped power lines in parts of Kakinada. Heavy rain and gusty winds also blocked Beach Road and Seethammadhara in Visakhapatnam. Arnab was expected to move slowly northwestwards at first, then north-northwestwards, extending dangerous weather beyond the immediate landfall zone.

Cyclone intensity describes the strength of a storm’s winds and helps authorities estimate likely damage. The IMD categorised Arnab as a very severe cyclonic storm. Its reported wind speeds were strong enough to threaten trees, electricity networks, transport routes, and exposed buildings.

When Arnab reached the Andhra Pradesh coast, its core winds were 125–135 kmph. Gusts rose to 150 kmph. The storm had moved northwestwards at about 3 kmph during the previous three hours, showing slow movement near landfall.

The reported strength matched the damage already seen. Multiple trees were uprooted, and power lines were snapped in Kakinada. In Visakhapatnam, gusty winds and heavy rain blocked Beach Road and Seethammadhara. The IMD also warned of a major storm surge and widespread heavy rain as landfall continued.

Evacuation moves people away from locations where flooding, storm surge, extreme rain, or powerful winds could threaten lives. The scale of the evacuation shows that authorities treated Arnab as a major coastal emergency, not simply a heavy-rain event.

Authorities said around 100,000 people had been evacuated from their homes across Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. A related update reported that at least 89,000 people were moved from vulnerable coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh. The article also identified low-lying areas near Kakinada and Yanam as particularly exposed to storm surge.

The evacuations were carried out before and during the cyclone’s landfall. The IMD warned that a 1.5–2.5 metre surge above astronomical tide could inundate coastal areas. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu said protecting every life was the foremost priority. Continued monitoring remained necessary as the cyclone moved inland.

A cyclone with winds above 125 kmph can create several connected disruptions. Strong winds can break trees, damage power networks, and affect buildings. Heavy rain and rising coastal water can flood roads and homes. Transport systems may be slowed or stopped when routes, tracks, airports, or safety operations are affected.

The article reports that trees were uprooted and power lines snapped in Kakinada. In Visakhapatnam, heavy rain and gusty winds blocked Beach Road and Seethammadhara. South Central Railway announced cancellations, partial cancellations, and rescheduling. The Ministry of Civil Aviation said flights to Andhra Pradesh and Odisha were expected to be among the most affected.

The IMD also warned that storm surge could submerge low-lying areas near Kakinada and Yanam. These effects can isolate communities and delay emergency response. Disruption was expected to continue while Arnab’s landfall and northwestward movement brought strong winds and heavy rain.

A storm surge is a temporary rise in sea level caused mainly by a cyclone’s strong winds pushing seawater toward the coast, along with the storm’s low pressure. It is measured above the astronomical tide, the regular rise and fall of the sea caused by astronomical forces. Surge matters because seawater can move inland rapidly.

The IMD forecast a 1.5–2.5 metre storm surge above the astronomical tide. The maximum peak surge was expected near Kakinada and Yanam in the Puducherry Union Territory. Low-lying coastal areas there could therefore be submerged as seawater rose above normal levels.

The warning covered the next four to five hours during landfall. A surge of this size can flood homes, roads, and farmland, particularly where land is only slightly above sea level. It also adds to rainfall flooding and makes evacuation and emergency access more difficult.

Alerts can cover places beyond the exact landfall point because a cyclone’s wind field, rain bands, and flooding threats spread across a wide region. Areas farther from the center may still face dangerous rain, thunderstorms, gusts, or transport disruption. However, the supplied article does not state that West Bengal was placed on alert or explain why.

For Andhra Pradesh, the main dangers included 125–135 kmph core winds, gusts up to 150 kmph, a possible 1.5–2.5 metre surge, and extreme rain. Odisha faced heavy to very heavy rain, possible extremely heavy rain, thunderstorms, lightning, and gusts up to 90 kmph in several districts.

Authorities evacuated about 100,000 people across Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. The cyclone’s expected northwestward and later north-northwestward movement meant hazardous weather could continue after landfall. Any specific reason for a West Bengal alert is not provided in the source and cannot be established from it.

Tropical cyclones form over sufficiently warm ocean water, which adds heat and moisture to the air above it. The moist air rises and cools, releasing heat that helps power more upward motion. This lowers pressure near the surface and draws in more air, creating a reinforcing cycle.

As air flows toward the low-pressure center, Earth’s rotation deflects it, producing a broad spinning circulation. Rising air and thunderstorms cluster around the center. If the ocean remains warm and winds at different heights do not disrupt the circulation, the system can become more organised and stronger.

This established meteorological explanation helps clarify why cyclone intensity and movement are closely monitored. In Arnab’s case, the IMD recorded core winds of 125–135 kmph and gusts up to 150 kmph at landfall. The article itself does not describe Arnab’s formation process, so this mechanism is general scientific context.