Cyclone Arnab came ashore on October 28 with winds of 150 kmph, devastating parts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
The next storm, if it fully develops into a cyclone, will be called Murasu, Tamil for ‘drum,’ a name India proposed.
Heavy weather is on the way. The IMD has forecast “isolated extremely heavy rainfall” for coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam in Puducherry on November 2, followed by very heavy rain on November 3. Rayalaseema can expect very heavy rain on both days, and Odisha is on alert for heavy rainfall on November 3 and 4.
“Well-Marked Low Pressure Area over Southeast Bay of Bengal Likely to Intensify into a Depression within 6 Hours and Further into a Cyclonic Storm within 24 Hours; Expected to Move West-Northwestwards and Reach West-central Bay of Bengal Near Andhra Pradesh Coast by the Evening of 2 November 2026,” the IMD said in a post on X.
How intense will be the new cyclone?
The good news is that the new cyclone should be milder than Arnab, with winds likely to stay between 80 and 90 kmph. “The wind speed of the possible cyclonic storm is likely to be between 80 kmph and 90 kmph, with occasional gusts up to 100 kmph. It may make landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coast on Tuesday morning,” IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra told news agency PTI.
Winds will build quickly as the system nears. Squally winds of up to 60 kmph are expected on the Andhra Pradesh, North Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts from the evening of November 1. On the Andhra coast, speeds could reach 65 to 75 kmph (gusting to 85) by the afternoon of November 2, then 80 to 90 kmph (gusting to 100) from that evening through the forenoon of November 3, the weather department said.
The storm will gradually lose speed and drop to 60kmph by the morning of November 4, following which the weather is expected to improve.
Similarly, along the South Odisha coast, squally weather, with wind speeds of 40-50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph, is expected to begin along the coast from the evening of November 2. Wind speeds are likely to intensify to 50-60 kmph, with gusts reaching 70 kmph, from the early hours of November 3 until evening. Conditions are expected to gradually ease thereafter, with winds of 40-50 kmph and gusts of up to 60 kmph likely to persist from the night of November 3 until the afternoon of November 4.
Cyclone Arnab wreaks havoc in Odisha
Barely days after Cyclone Arnab battered Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, another storm is on the way. Arnab came ashore early on October 28 on the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coast, between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam.
Trees were uprooted, homes were flooded, and agricultural fields were inundated. Fishing activities were restricted, and transport and electricity networks suffered major disruptions due to high-speed winds and heavy rain. Incessant rainfall due to the cyclonic storm also triggered landslide in a village bordering Ganjam and Kandhamal districts on Friday.