Very severe cyclonic storm Arnab crossed the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts on Wednesday morning, October 28, 2026, and weakened into a severe cyclonic storm after landfall. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said no loss of life had been reported so far.

The India Meteorological Department said the landfall process is now complete, with the system moving entirely over land. The cyclone crossed the coast southwest of Yanam, near latitude 16.450 N and longitude 81.90 E. That point sits about 20 km east-northeast of Narsapur, 40 km southwest of Yanam and 60 km southwest of Kakinada.

The storm had been expected to strengthen into a very severe cyclone before reaching land, with wind speeds of 125 to 135 km/h. At landfall, winds reached 125 to 135 kmph, gusting to 150 kmph. The IMD said the crossing took place between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m.

No deaths reported, but the damage is spreading

The early count is the best news from the coast. Naidu held a teleconference with about 32,000 officials and field staff on Wednesday morning, and his message was clear.

"No loss of life has been reported so far due to Cyclone Arnab. The advance precautionary measures taken by the administrative machinery helped prevent casualties," said Mr. Naidu in an official press release.

Naidu told officials to clear fallen trees and restore traffic within two hours. Power will come back as soon as the winds ease and it is safe for crews to work. He also asked officials to prepare early estimates of crop damage.

The damage to trees has been severe in some places. In Yanam, every street has been blocked by fallen trees. Roads between Kakinada and Amalapuram in the Godavari region were also blocked, and scores of trees have been removed from that route. In Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district, banana and coconut plantations have suffered.

The NDRF and SDRF have stepped up road and street restoration. Residents of Kakinada, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema and West Godavari have been told to stay indoors until 11 a.m.

Rain hit hardest in north coastal Andhra

The rainfall numbers tell a harsher story. North coastal Andhra Pradesh took the brunt of the heavy rain as the cyclone crossed overnight.

Kannuripalem in Kasimkota mandal of Anakapalli district recorded about 263 mm in the 24 hours to 8 a.m. on Wednesday. That was the highest in the state, according to the Andhra Pradesh Directorate of Economics and Statistics. Bhogapuram in Vizianagaram district recorded about 263 mm, and the 16th Police Battalion campus in Visakhapatnam recorded about 260 mm.

Thirty-nine automatic weather stations, all in Anakapalli, Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram districts, crossed 204.5 mm. That is the threshold the IMD uses for extremely heavy rain. In Visakhapatnam city, Simhachalam logged about 238 mm, Madhurawada about 207 mm and RK Beach about 111 mm. The IMD’s own station at Waltair recorded 217 mm.

Rayalaseema and the southern districts stayed almost dry, with less than 7.5 mm everywhere.

Schools become shelters as evacuations widen

Andhra Pradesh has turned 609 school campuses into relief shelters for people moved out of cyclone-hit areas. Officials have barricaded unsafe buildings, and 78 buildings have been flagged as being at risk of collapse.

Schools in 16 coastal districts are closed. Authorities have also mobilised 17,054 NCC, NSS and Scouts volunteers to help with relief work.

Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan, who also heads the Jana Sena Party, asked party workers to join the government’s relief and rescue work. He warned that heavy rain is likely to continue in the coastal districts even after the cyclone moves past the coast. The government is moving people from low-lying areas to relief camps and supplying food, milk and other essentials.

Flights and trains disrupted across the region

Thirty-eight flights to and from Visakhapatnam, scheduled up to 6.15 p.m. on Wednesday, were cancelled. That included 19 arrivals and 19 departures, among them international flights to and from Bangkok and Abu Dhabi. IndiGo said its flights to and from Rajahmundry, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam would stay affected on Wednesday and urged passengers to check their status before heading to the airport.

Rail services were also hit. The Narasapur-Tuticorin Special and the Narasapur-Thiruvannamalai Express were cancelled on Wednesday. The Visakhapatnam-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express left Visakhapatnam at 4 a.m. instead of 11.20 p.m. the night before, and it was diverted via Eluru instead of Gudivada. The Hubballi-Narasapur Express will be held for about 90 minutes in the Guntur Division.

Before landfall, the Civil Aviation Ministry held a review meeting to assess the situation and ensure the safety of flight operations.

Rescues in Kakinada port area

Kakinada police rescued four staff members who had been stranded in a Central Warehousing Corporation godown at Kakinada Anchorage Port. Water entered the godown campus, and the four men spent the entire night inside before police reached them.

Kakinada SP G. Bindhu Madhav identified them as Chintala Durga Prasad, Bommidi Anand Kumar, Soorreddi Nagaraju and Ganga Appala Raju. All four are safe and have been reunited with their families. They are natives of Yanam and Kakinada.

Why this matters for coastal Andhra

This storm has put the region’s coastal districts under pressure at once. Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli, Vizianagaram, Konaseema, West Godavari and Kakinada all face the combined effects of wind, flooding rain and blocked roads. Farmers in the affected districts now face crop losses that the state has asked officials to measure quickly.

The live coverage also points to the state’s preparation before the storm. Authorities stepped up evacuations, cancelled trains and flights, and activated cyclone shelters across vulnerable districts. The state has also strengthened its disaster preparedness since Cyclone Hudhud, according to the reporting.

For now, the immediate risk comes from fallen trees, standing water and gusts that could still disrupt movement. Residents are being asked to stay indoors until late morning, and power will return only when crews can safely work. Officials have not yet released a final damage estimate, and the rain warning remains in place for the coastal belt.