Bhubaneswar: The deep depression over Bay of Bengal intensified into cyclonic storm ‘Arnab’ on Monday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
According to meteorological scientists, Arnab is the first cyclonic storm formed over the Bay of Bengal this year.
Cyclone Arnab (pronounced Ornab) is likely to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm by Monay night and into a very severe cyclonic storm by Tuesday, October 27.
The system, moving west-north-westwards at a speed of 15 km per hour, lay centred over the east-central and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal.
In a bulletin, the IMD said the system was about 590 km northwest of Sri Vijaya Puram (Andaman Islands), 650 km east-southeast of Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), 730 km east-southeast of Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh), 830 km east of Machilipatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and 910 km east of Bapatla (Andhra Pradesh).
The IMD has forecast that the cyclone will move north-westwards and reach the west-central Bay of Bengal near the Andhra Pradesh coast around the morning of October 28. It is very likely to cross the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam as a very severe cyclonic storm with maximum sustained wind speed of 115-125 kmph gusting to 140 kmph.
Meanwhile, coastal districts of North Andhra Pradesh and South Odisha have been placed on high alert, with heavy to very heavy rainfall warnings issued through October 29.
