Update · 27 Oct 2026, 1:31 PM PKT: Rajesh Prabhakar Patil, Odisha's Special Relief Commissioner, said no evacuations had taken place in Odisha so far. The state had closed schools and colleges in five districts for Tuesday and Wednesday.
Television footage showed waves crashing on deserted beaches and shuttered shops lining streets in affected areas.
Tens of thousands of residents are being moved out of harm’s way along India’s eastern seaboard as Cyclone Arnab strengthens and closes in on the coastal states. The storm has grown stronger since Monday and is forecast to reach land by Wednesday morning.
The India Meteorological Department has warned residents of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha that the “very severe” cyclonic storm was located 260km (160 miles) southeast of Visakhapatnam, the most populous city in Andhra Pradesh. The agency expects Arnab to curve northwest and cross the coast at 11:30am local time (06:00 GMT) on Wednesday, with sustained winds of 115-125km/h (71-78mph) and gusts up to 140km/h (87mph).
Evacuations under way in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha
Arnab formed over the Bay of Bengal, one of the world’s main breeding grounds for tropical cyclones, which often affect India’s eastern coast. Andhra Pradesh’s disaster management authority said more than 12 million people live along the storm’s projected path.
By Monday night, nearly 50,000 people had been moved from vulnerable areas to shelters, out of an estimated 400,000 who need to leave. Managing director Prakhar Jain told a news agency that the process was ongoing. “Evacuation is continuing,” Jain said.
Odisha authorities have announced plans to move 48,000 people out of harm’s way.
Rail cancellations and a Nepal travel advisory
Railway authorities in the region said on social media that at least 12 trains had been cancelled in eastern India. Services on 53 routes along the southern coast have been suspended for Tuesday and Wednesday.
In neighbouring Nepal, authorities have advised tourists to avoid high-altitude areas. They warned that Arnab could bring heavy rain, snowstorms and avalanches in the Himalayas from Thursday night to Saturday. The advisory follows a Himalayan flash flood in August that killed about 1,500 people in Nepal.
