Very severe Cyclone Arnab inches along Andhra coast during landfall

The landfall process of very severe cyclonic storm Arnab was underway along the Andhra Pradesh coast on Wednesday, with the storm’s centre remaining close to the coastline, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The northern spiral band of the cyclone has further entered the land, and the landfall process is expected to continue for the next three hours, it said.

The cyclone was located over the west central Bay of Bengal close to the Andhra Pradesh coast, near latitude 16.4 degrees north and longitude 82.0 degrees east, about 30 km east of Narsapur, 45 km south-southwest of Yanam, 70 km south-southwest of Kakinada and 90 km east-northeast of Machilipatnam.

The system is likely to continue moving north-westwards and cross the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to the south of Yanam, as a very severe cyclonic storm, with maximum sustained wind speeds of up to 135 kmph and gusts reaching 150 kmph during the next three hours, said the IMD.

Under the influence of the cyclone, heavy rain struck several places in the Anakapalli, Visakhapatnam, Kakinada and Konaseema districts.

Meanwhile, collectors of Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Konaseema and West Godavari districts reported heavy rainfall and strong winds in their respective districts. Officials also reported that trees had fallen at some places due to the impact of the cyclone.
(With PTI inputs)