Cyclone Arnab to weaken into depression on October 29, says IMD | LIVE updates

A cyclone’s classification reflects the strength and organisation of its winds and circulation. Moving from a very severe cyclonic storm to a depression means the system is losing energy and becoming less intense. A low-pressure area is a weaker weather system, though it can still bring rain.

Arnab crossed the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts as a very severe cyclonic storm before weakening into a severe cyclonic storm. By October 29, the IMD said it had become a deep depression. It was very likely to weaken into a depression and then a well-marked low-pressure area that evening.

This weakening reduces the threat of extreme cyclone winds, but does not end the danger immediately. Rain, flooding, gusty winds, lightning, swollen rivers and damaged infrastructure can continue after landfall. The storm’s effects included heavy inflows across North Andhra and thunderstorms forecast in 12 Telangana districts.

Cyclone Arnab made landfall along the Andhra coast after crossing the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts. The storm’s effects spread well beyond the landfall area because its rain bands and winds affected several States. The most severe reported flooding was in North Andhra, while other regions experienced rain, wind or continuing storm-related weather.

Srikakulam, Parvatipuram-Manyam and Vizianagaram districts saw rivers, rivulets and seasonal streams running high. Telangana received rain, and thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds were forecast in 12 districts. Keralam also received rain, although rainfall there was expected to ease considerably after Arnab’s landfall.

The storm also caused damage and disruption in Visakhapatnam, including damage to green cover, uprooted electric poles, power outages and disrupted mobile connectivity. Andhra Pradesh continued relief and restoration work, while Telangana offered personnel and materials to help restore damaged power infrastructure if required.

Srikakulam district recorded an extraordinary rainfall total during Arnab’s passage. From 8 a.m. on Tuesday to 8 a.m. on Wednesday, it received 4,094.2 mm of rain. The district administration said normal rainfall is only 136.5 mm, making the storm period’s total dramatically higher.

Using the figures provided, 4,094.2 mm is about 30 times 136.5 mm. The comparison shows why the district’s water systems came under intense pressure. Rain fell not only in the district but also in upstream catchment areas, sending large inflows into rivers.

The Vamsadhara, Nagavali, Mahindra Tanaya and Bahuda rivers were among those affected. Rivers, rivulets and seasonal streams across Srikakulam, Parvatipuram-Manyam and Vizianagaram districts were in spate. Such rainfall can rapidly increase flood risk, damage infrastructure and complicate relief and restoration operations.

A cyclone combines two major hazards: intense rain and strong winds. Heavy rain rapidly fills rivers, rivulets and streams, while winds can uproot trees, damage poles and harm buildings. Together, they can isolate communities, interrupt travel and make emergency work more difficult.

Arnab produced huge inflows across North Andhra. Rivers including the Vamsadhara, Nagavali, Mahindra Tanaya and Bahuda were affected. In Visakhapatnam, strong winds damaged the city’s green cover and uprooted electric poles. Residents also faced prolonged power outages and disrupted mobile network connectivity.

The article does not give specific road closures or details of relief centres. It does show public services under pressure: schools in Visakhapatnam were closed, power restoration was under way, and Telangana offered personnel and materials to Andhra Pradesh. These impacts can continue even after a cyclone weakens, especially where rivers remain swollen and infrastructure is damaged.

Authorities use closures, evacuations and schedule changes to keep people away from dangerous conditions and preserve emergency capacity. Pregnant women may be moved to hospitals before roads or communications become difficult, while relief centres give displaced residents safer shelter. These are standard disaster-management aims, but the supplied article does not report those two specific actions.

The article does confirm that Visakhapatnam closed all educational institutions on Thursday after the cyclone. It also says Andhra Pradesh postponed MPTC and ZPTC polling from November 3 to November 5, while retaining November 1 urban local body polling after assessing conditions and receiving assurances from district authorities.

The decisions reflect continuing risks from damaged infrastructure, flooding, power failures and disrupted communications. Keeping schools closed protects students and staff. Adjusting elections allows officials to manage cyclone recovery, although the SEC judged that the November 1 civic poll could proceed under the revised arrangements.

Cyclone Hudhud struck the region in October 2014 and became a lasting reference point for residents. Arnab revived those memories because it brought strong winds through the night, damage to the city’s green cover, uprooted electric poles, prolonged power outages and disrupted mobile connectivity.

The central difference was severity and location. The article says Arnab was less severe than Hudhud and did not make landfall in the city. Hudhud is described as having battered the city 12 years earlier, while Arnab crossed the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts and made landfall along the Andhra coast.

Despite the differences, people experienced some similar disruptions. Residents recalled sleepless nights, power cuts and instructions to remain indoors unless there was an emergency. They used social media to compare the two cyclones, showing how Arnab’s impacts connected current events with memories of the earlier disaster.

Tropical cyclones generally develop over sufficiently warm ocean water when moist air rises and thunderstorms organise around a low-pressure centre. Heat and moisture from the sea help maintain the rising air and circulation. Earth’s rotation also helps the system develop its spinning structure. This is established meteorological knowledge, not an explanation provided in the article.

After moving over land, a cyclone usually weakens because it is cut off from the warm ocean surface that supplied energy and moisture. Rough land also increases friction, disrupting the circulation. Arnab illustrates the weakening stage: it crossed the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts as a very severe cyclonic storm, then became a deep depression.

The IMD expected Arnab to weaken further into a depression and then a well-marked low-pressure area. Even after weakening, its rain caused major inflows in North Andhra, while thunderstorms and gusty winds remained possible in Telangana.