Cyclone Arnab killed at least three people after making landfall in Andhra Pradesh, bringing destructive winds and heavy rain to India's eastern coast, authorities told Reuters. More than 180,000 residents had been moved from vulnerable areas in Andhra Pradesh and neighboring Odisha before the storm arrived.
India's meteorological agency classified Arnab as a very severe cyclonic storm, the third-highest category on its scale. The center crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast early Wednesday and later moved inland, where forecasters expected wind speeds to ease. Officials said Andhra Pradesh bore the heaviest impact.
The state's chief minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, reported that at least 180 houses had been destroyed, 220 trees brought down and electricity interrupted in several places. Officials in his office said two of the deaths involved a falling tree and electrocution. Damage to crops was also reported, adding an economic threat for communities already coping with flooded or damaged homes.
Disaster response teams from national and state agencies were deployed in affected areas. Schools closed in some locations, while rail and air services along the coast were disrupted. India's civil aviation ministry suspended operations at three airports in Andhra Pradesh. Television footage described by Reuters showed crews in rain gear clearing fallen branches and trees from highways.
Before landfall, the weather department warned fishermen to remain ashore and forecast damage to thatched buildings, communications links and farmland. It expected sustained winds of 125 to 135 kilometers per hour, gusts reaching 150 kph and a storm surge of one to 1.5 meters above the normal tide in low-lying parts of Andhra Pradesh. Those conditions can compound inland flooding by preventing rainwater from draining toward the sea.
Arnab's reach extended beyond India's coast. Authorities in Nepal temporarily stopped issuing trekking permits for high mountain areas because moisture from the cyclone was expected to raise the risk of heavy rain, snowstorms and avalanches. The restriction came during the country's busy autumn trekking period.
The Bay of Bengal regularly produces powerful cyclones that threaten densely populated coastal districts. India has expanded forecasting, warning and evacuation systems since catastrophic storms including Odisha's 1999 super cyclone. The movement of more than 180,000 people ahead of Arnab reflects that emphasis on prevention, though the deaths and extensive property damage show the continuing danger.
With the storm moving inland, the immediate priorities were restoring electricity, clearing transport routes, assessing homes and crops, and keeping residents away from downed lines and unstable trees. Authorities had not yet provided a complete damage estimate, and the confirmed toll could change as teams reached affected communities.
