India evacuates tens of thousands as Cyclone Arnab makes landfall

A woman with a child arrives at a relief shelter during rainfall in Andhra Pradesh's Kakinada on October 27, 2026 ahead of cyclone Arnab's expected landfall. NOAH SEELAM / AFP Ferocious winds and torrential rain lashed India's southeastern coast as Cyclone Arnab made landfall on Wednesday, forcing nearly 100,000 people to evacuate their homes in two states, authorities said. Arnab hit Andhra Pradesh as a "very severe cyclonic storm," with winds of 125-135 kilometers (78-84 miles) per hour and gusts reaching 150 kph, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

"Very severe cyclonic storm Arnab is continuing to interact with the land surface," the IMD said in a statement, along the coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam. Authorities ordered thousands to move inland or take shelter in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha ahead of the storm, while neighboring Sri Lanka and Nepal also issued weather warnings. Read more Subscribers only Devastation and trauma linger in Sri Lanka after Cyclone Ditwah "Protecting every life is our foremost priority," Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu said as the storm approached the coast.

Gales rocked trees and rain poured down in the port city of Kakinada, close to the heart of the storm, as heavy waves crashed ashore. As many as 50,000 people have been told to move to safe areas in Andhra Pradesh, and 48,000 in Odisha. Cyclones, called hurricanes in the North Atlantic and typhoons in the Pacific, are a regular menace in the Bay of Bengal and northern Indian Ocean. The storm season, however, has been turbocharged by the El Niño weather phenomenon that has contributed to unprecedented warming.

Warning of 'total destruction' India's weather bureau warned of "total destruction" of thatched houses, localized flooding, the uprooting of power and communications poles, and "widespread damage" to standing crops. The Ministry of Civil Aviation said flights to Andhra Pradesh and Odisha were expected to be among the most affected. Neighboring Sri Lanka closed schools as its Department of Meteorology warned that storms could trigger flash floods and mudslides.

Nepal's disaster authority warned that the storm would move inland towards the Himalayas, bringing heavy rainfall and "a high risk of heavy snowfall, snowstorms and avalanches." It urged tourists to avoid traveling to high mountain areas and advised those already there to remain in safe locations. Nepal is still recovering from a catastrophic August 26 flood triggered by a glacial mountain collapse, which killed more than 1,400 people and left over 5,000 missing.

Read more Subscribers only Nepal demands greater climate justice amid staggering flood costs Le Monde with AFP