Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Arnab 2026: Live Path Toward Andhra Pradesh, IMD Warnings, and What 'Very Severe' Actually Means

Cyclone Arnab is a very severe cyclonic storm (VSCS) in the Bay of Bengal that is tracking toward the Andhra Pradesh coast on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue red and orange alerts across coastal Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal. A VSCS packs sustained wind speeds of 118 to 166 km/h (64 to 89 knots), the third-strongest tier on India's seven-level cyclone scale. As of the IMD's 0830 IST bulletin on October 27, Arnab was positioned over the west-central Bay of Bengal and moving west-northwest, with landfall expected along the Andhra Pradesh shoreline between Kakinada and Visakhapatnam.

Where is Cyclone Arnab right now and where is it heading?

Cyclone Arnab is currently over the west-central Bay of Bengal, roughly 300 to 350 km east-southeast of the Andhra Pradesh coast, and is forecast to make landfall between Kakinada and Visakhapatnam late on October 27 or early October 28, 2026. According to The Hindu's live coverage, the storm is hurtling toward the Andhra Pradesh coast with the IMD warning of a storm surge of 1 to 2 meters above astronomical tide in low-lying areas of East Godavari, West Godavari, and Visakhapatnam districts.

What does 'very severe cyclonic storm' mean in the IMD classification?

A very severe cyclonic storm is the third category on the IMD's seven-tier scale, defined by maximum sustained surface winds of 118 to 166 km/h (64 to 89 knots). The full ladder runs from depression (31 to 49 km/h) through deep depression, cyclonic storm, severe cyclonic storm, very severe cyclonic storm, extremely severe cyclonic storm, and super cyclonic storm (above 222 km/h). Arnab's VSCS status places it in the same bracket as 2023's Cyclone Hamoon, which peaked as a very severe cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal before weakening ahead of landfall near the Bangladesh coast.

Which regions are under IMD alerts as Arnab approaches?

Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal are all under active IMD alerts as Arnab approaches, with red warnings for heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in coastal Andhra Pradesh and orange alerts for Gangetic West Bengal. The IMD has forecast isolated rainfall of 20 cm or more in coastal Andhra Pradesh and 7 to 11 cm in Kolkata and adjoining districts. Telegraph India reports that Calcutta will see clouds and moderate to heavy showers as Arnab's outer bands reach across the state, even though the storm center remains hundreds of kilometers to the southwest.

How is Odisha responding to Cyclone Arnab?

Odisha's Ganjam district has closed all beaches and opened shelters for fishermen from Andhra Pradesh and Paradeep as Cyclone Arnab intensifies, according to The Times of India. The Odisha State Disaster Management Authority has deployed rapid response teams to Ganjam, Khordha, and Puri, and has suspended all fishing operations along the coast through October 29, 2026. The state's early-warning system, which the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction has cited as a model for the region, issued SMS alerts to more than 400,000 coastal residents on Monday evening.

Why is Cyclone Arnab intensifying so quickly in 2026?

Cyclone Arnab is intensifying quickly because sea surface temperatures in the Bay of Bengal are running 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius above the 1991 to 2020 average for late October, according to IMD ocean buoy data. Warm water plus low vertical wind shear and strong upper-level outflow created a textbook rapid-intensification window between October 25 and October 27. A 2026 study in Nature Communications found that the proportion of Bay of Bengal cyclones reaching very severe or higher status has risen from 28 percent in the 1980s to 41 percent in the 2020s, a shift researchers attribute primarily to ocean warming.

How does Arnab compare to Cyclone Hamoon and other recent very severe storms?

Arnab is comparable in peak intensity to Cyclone Hamoon (2023), which also reached very severe cyclonic storm status over the Bay of Bengal, but Arnab is forecast to make landfall at or near peak strength, whereas Hamoon weakened before crossing the Bangladesh coast. The key difference is track: Arnab is moving almost due west into a coastline with dense population centers, while Hamoon curved northeast. Storm-surge exposure for Andhra Pradesh is therefore significantly higher than it was for Bangladesh in 2023.

What should residents in the path of Arnab do right now?

Residents in the path of Arnab should follow district-level evacuation orders, avoid all coastal and beach areas, and prepare a 72-hour emergency kit with water, medication, and charged power banks. Fishermen along the Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coasts have been ordered to remain in harbor through October 29. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) helpline 1078 is active for real-time guidance, and the IMD's Mausam portal publishes updated track and intensity forecasts every three hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a very severe cyclonic storm?

A very severe cyclonic storm is a tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 118 to 166 km/h, ranked third on the IMD's seven-tier scale. It typically produces storm surges of 1 to 3 meters, widespread tree damage, and power outages lasting days.

Where will Cyclone Arnab make landfall?

Cyclone Arnab is forecast to make landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coast between Kakinada and Visakhapatnam late on October 27 or early October 28, 2026, according to the IMD's latest track.

Is Kolkata at risk from Cyclone Arnab?

Kolkata is not in the direct path of Arnab but will experience moderate to heavy showers and gusty winds from the storm's outer bands through October 28, per Telegraph India and IMD forecasts.

How does Arnab compare to Cyclone Hamoon?

Both reached very severe cyclonic storm status, but Arnab is forecast to make landfall at near-peak intensity on a densely populated coast, while Hamoon weakened before landfall in Bangladesh in 2023.