Cyclone Arnab - live: India evacuates tens of thousands as 'very severe' storm approaches

News World news Storms LIVE Updated 1 hour ago Cyclone Arnab - live: India evacuates tens of thousands as 'very severe' storm approaches Cyclone Arnab is expected to make landfall on India's eastern coast, bringing horror 78mph winds to town and cities in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha Torrential rain has already hit India ahead of Cyclone Arnab's expected landfall ( Image: AFP via Getty Images ) Add to preferred sources Comments News Zahra Khaliq News Reporter Updated 23:00, 27 Oct 2026 Nearly 50,000 people have been evacuated from India 's eastern coast out of a massive 400,000 that need to be relocated as an intensifying cyclone threatens to batter coastal communities with winds of up to 78mph.

Cyclone Arnab has been strengthening since Monday and is expected to make landfall on Wednesday morning, with the powerful winds and torrential rain set to bring destruction to the state of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. India's Meteorological Department has issued warnings as the storm moves towards the coast, with the cyclone's centre last reported just 260km (160 miles) south-east of the port city of Visakhapatnam. Forecasters expect the storm to move north-west before crossing the coast at around 6am GMT on Wednesday, with sustained winds of up to 125km/h (78mph).

Prakhar Jain, managing director of Andhra Pradesh’s disaster management authority, said more than 12 million people live in the storm's path of which about 400,000 will need to be evacuated. New Updates Key Events Almost 50,000 people evacuated from India's eastern coast View Post India's Meteorological Department warns of 'very severe' cyclonic storm View Post Cyclone Arnab to bring 78mph winds View Post 27th Oct 23:00 GMT Why India is so vulnerable to deadly cyclones The Bay of Bengal is one of the world's main breeding grounds for tropical cyclones, with warm ocean waters providing the energy needed to storms to develop and intensify.

Warm, moisture-rich air rises from the sea, creating an area of low pressure. As the system gathers and begins to spin, it can develop into a powerful cyclone. These conditions have helped fuel Cyclone Arnab, which is now bearing down on India's eastern coast. People use umbrellas to shield themselves from strong winds in Visakhapatnam (Image: AP Photo/) Comments Zahra Khaliq 27th Oct 22:51 GMT Almost 50,000 people evacuated from India's eastern coast Almost 50,000 had been moved out of vulnerable areas on India's eastern coast and placed in shelters by Monday night.

This is out of an estimated 400,000 in need of evacuation, the managing director of Andhra Pradesh's disaster management authority, Prakhar Jain, told Reuters. Jain said the evacuation was continuing. A woman with a child arrives at a relief shelter during rainfall in Andhra Pradesh's Kakinada (Image: AFP via Getty Images) Comments Zahra Khaliq 27th Oct 22:45 GMT Trees whipped sideways by fierce winds A video shows ferocious winds and rain battering trees in Andhra Pradesh, with branches and leaves bent almost horizontally by the gusts.

Separate footage shared from someone in the same district near Odalarevu appears to show trees bent almost to the ground. Content cannot be displayed without consent Comments Zahra Khaliq ‌ 27th Oct 22:37 GMT People fill temporary shelters as cyclone approaches coast Communities have gathered inside temporary shelters - including one set up inside a school - as Cyclone Arnab approaches the Andhra Pradesh coast in Kakinada. The cyclone is approaching the Andhra Pradesh coast (Image: AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

A temporary shelter set up inside a school (Image: AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.) Comments Zahra Khaliq 27th Oct 22:29 GMT India's Meteorological Department warns of 'very severe' cyclonic storm India's Meteorological Department has warned coastal communities in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha that the "very severe" cyclonic storm was only 260km (160 miles) southeast of the port city of Visakhapatnam - the most populous in Andhra Pradesh. A scooterist rides along the Bay of Bengal coast during rainfall in Andhra Pradesh's Kakinada (Image: AFP via Getty Images) Arnab is expected to move north-west and cross the coast by 11:30am local time (06:00 GMT) on Wednesday.

The storm will bring sustained winds of 115-125km/h (71-78mph) and gusts of up to 140km/h (87mph). Comments Zahra Khaliq 27th Oct 22:27 GMT Cyclone Arnab to bring 78mph winds Cyclone Arnab is threatening India's eastern coast with winds of up to 78mph. Tens of thousands of people have been urged to evacuate ahead of its expected landfall on Wednesday. Comments Zahra Khaliq Follow Daily Mirror: Facebook X (Twitter) TikTok Instagram Snapchat Comments ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 27th Oct 23:00 GMT Why India is so vulnerable to deadly cyclones The Bay of Bengal is one of the world's main breeding grounds for tropical cyclones, with warm ocean waters providing the energy needed to storms to develop and intensify.

Warm, moisture-rich air rises from the sea, creating an area of low pressure. As the system gathers and begins to spin, it can develop into a powerful cyclone. These conditions have helped fuel Cyclone Arnab, which is now bearing down on India's eastern coast. People use umbrellas to shield themselves from strong winds in Visakhapatnam (Image: AP Photo/) Comments Zahra Khaliq 27th Oct 22:51 GMT Almost 50,000 people evacuated from India's eastern coast Almost 50,000 had been moved out of vulnerable areas on India's eastern coast and placed in shelters by Monday night.

This is out of an estimated 400,000 in need of evacuation, the managing director of Andhra Pradesh's disaster management authority, Prakhar Jain, told Reuters. Jain said the evacuation was continuing. A woman with a child arrives at a relief shelter during rainfall in Andhra Pradesh's Kakinada (Image: AFP via Getty Images) Comments Zahra Khaliq 27th Oct 22:45 GMT Trees whipped sideways by fierce winds A video shows ferocious winds and rain battering trees in Andhra Pradesh, with branches and leaves bent almost horizontally by the gusts.

Separate footage shared from someone in the same district near Odalarevu appears to show trees bent almost to the ground. Content cannot be displayed without consent Comments Zahra Khaliq 27th Oct 22:37 GMT People fill temporary shelters as cyclone approaches coast Communities have gathered inside temporary shelters - including one set up inside a school - as Cyclone Arnab approaches the Andhra Pradesh coast in Kakinada. The cyclone is approaching the Andhra Pradesh coast (Image: AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

A temporary shelter set up inside a school (Image: AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.) Comments Zahra Khaliq 27th Oct 22:29 GMT India's Meteorological Department warns of 'very severe' cyclonic storm India's Meteorological Department has warned coastal communities in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha that the "very severe" cyclonic storm was only 260km (160 miles) southeast of the port city of Visakhapatnam - the most populous in Andhra Pradesh. A scooterist rides along the Bay of Bengal coast during rainfall in Andhra Pradesh's Kakinada (Image: AFP via Getty Images) Arnab is expected to move north-west and cross the coast by 11:30am local time (06:00 GMT) on Wednesday.

The storm will bring sustained winds of 115-125km/h (71-78mph) and gusts of up to 140km/h (87mph). Comments Zahra Khaliq 27th Oct 22:27 GMT Cyclone Arnab to bring 78mph winds Cyclone Arnab is threatening India's eastern coast with winds of up to 78mph. Tens of thousands of people have been urged to evacuate ahead of its expected landfall on Wednesday. Comments Zahra Khaliq