Bhubaneswar: Odisha has been put on high alert as the depression in the Bay of Bengal begins to move toward the east coast.
Moving southeastward at a speed of 5 kmph, the weather system remained centered over the same region early Sunday morning, about 860 km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam and 1130 km east of Bapatla.
According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), the system is projected to shift southwards, intensify into a Deep Depression, and gradually recurve west-northwestwards later in the day. Thereafter, it is expected to steadily gather strength over the Bay of Bengal, developing into a cyclonic storm named Arnab by the morning of October 26.
The name Arnab, which translates to “ocean” in Bengali, was contributed by Bangladesh as part of the regional tropical cyclone naming roster maintained by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the IMD. This comes after a weather system last month triggered a cyclone watch but failed to reach full cyclonic intensity, ultimately crossing the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coast as a deep depression on September 23 and bringing heavy downpours to the region.
Atmospheric conditions indicate that Arnab will continue gaining power over the central Bay of Bengal, progressing into a severe cyclonic storm by October 27 and reaching very severe cyclonic storm status as it nears the Andhra Pradesh coast on the morning of October 28. The MeT office has forecast that the cyclone will make landfall between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam near the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts by forenoon on October 28, bringing sustained maximum wind speeds of 115–125 kmph and gusts reaching up to 140 kmph.
Although Andhra Pradesh bears the brunt of the projected landfall path, neighbouring Odisha is preparing for severe weather impacts. Regional meteorological centres have issued a Red Warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall, alongside isolated extremely heavy downpours exceeding 20 cm, for five southern districts of Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput, and Malkangiri on October 28.
Thunderstorms accompanied by strong surface winds of 60–70 kmph, gusting up to 80 kmph, are expected across these five districts.
Authorities have warned that such intense prolonged rain could trigger serious waterlogging in low-lying urban areas, rapid rises in local river levels, and landslides across unstable hilly slopes in Gajapati, Koraput, Rayagada, and Malkangiri.
Additionally, an Orange Warning for heavy to very heavy rainfall has been extended to 18 other districts, including Baleshwar, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Kataka, Mayurbhanj, Sonpur, Boudh, Nuapada, Balangir, Kalahandi, Kandhamala, Nabarangpur, Baragada, Puri, Khordha, and Nayagada. Widespread rain across most parts of the state is anticipated to cause temporary disruptions to daily life and regional transportation networks.
In view of the approaching severe storm, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi reviewed state preparedness at Lok Seva Bhavan, directing departments to execute a strict zero-casualty strategy reminiscent of past disaster management efforts. A total of 60 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams, 17 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, and 225 fire service units have been deployed.
As a safety measure, educational institutions and Anganwadi centres across the five districts under Red Warning have been ordered to remain closed on October 28 and 29. Public health officials have been tasked with early evacuations of vulnerable populations, particularly pregnant women and hospital patients, to secure shelters, while strict warnings have been issued advising all fishermen to stay off the rough sea.