Cyclone Arnab weakens over Odisha, Rayagada remains on high alert

Cyclone Arnab weakened over Odisha on Wednesday, easing rainfall in Rayagada district, though authorities remained on high alert amid the possibility of further showers. District Collector Ashutosh Kulkarni said the immediate threat had reduced, with rainfall lower than anticipated.
Rayagada recorded 40 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8:30 am on Wednesday, followed by another 26 mm by the evening, Kulkarni said.“In the 24 hours that ended today at 8:30 am, Rayagada recorded 40mm of rainfall, and since then till today in the evening, about 26mm of rainfall has been recorded. So it has been quite less than what we had expected. Even now, as the rains have subsided, no major threat exists now,” he told reporters.However, local administrative departments remain mobilised to respond to any further weather developments.“Still, we are on high alert…there is a possibility that some rainfall may be recorded in Rayagada,” Kulkarni said.

#WATCH | Rayagada, Odisha: Rain continues in Rayagada under influence of cyclone Arnab. All departments have been put on alert. District Collector Ashutosh Kulkarni says, "In the 24 hours that ended today at 8:30 am, Rayagada recorded 40mm of rainfall, and since then till today in the evening, about 26mm of rainfall has been recorded. So it has been quite lesser than what we had expected. Even now, as the rains have subsided, no major threat exists now. But still we are on high alert...there is a possibility that some rainfall may be recorded in Rayagada..."

— ANI (@ANI) October 29, 2026

Meanwhile, several parts of Andhra Pradesh experienced strong winds and heavy rainfall associated with the cyclone, uprooting trees and disrupting normal activities in affected areas.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the phone and briefed him on the damage caused by the cyclone across the state.According to agency reports, Naidu outlined the situation in affected districts, including Visakhapatnam, Konaseema, Kakinada, East Godavari, West Godavari, Eluru and Krishna.The Chief Minister said preliminary estimates indicated that agricultural crops spread across more than 70,000 hectares had been inundated. He added that initial damage assessment reports were being sent to the Central Government and requested the immediate deployment of central assessment teams to evaluate losses on the ground.Naidu also sought financial and logistical assistance from the Centre to support relief, rehabilitation and restoration work in the affected regions.
In a separate incident, Vizianagaram rural police rescued five people trapped inside a house in Dharmapuri village of Vizianagaram mandal amid heavy rainfall linked to the cyclone.The operation was conducted under the leadership of Vizianagaram DSP S Lakshmana Murthy, with Rural Circle Inspector B Lakshmana Rao, Rural Sub-Inspector V Prasad Rao and other police personnel taking part.
According to the Vizianagaram Rural Police Station, several houses in the village were flooded following heavy rainfall over the preceding two days. After receiving information that five people were trapped in a house surrounded by floodwater, police personnel alerted senior officers and launched the rescue operation.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Cyclonic Storm Arnab, which had weakened from a severe cyclonic storm, was centred over coastal Andhra Pradesh and the adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal on Wednesday evening.
IMD Bhubaneswar Director Manorama Mohanty said the cyclone had crossed the coast and moved entirely over land. She warned that rainfall and wind speeds could increase in parts of Odisha, particularly in the southern districts.A red warning was issued for six districts, with wind speeds of 60–70 kmph and gusts reaching 80–85 kmph forecast in some areas. Mohanty also warned that some coastal districts of north Odisha could receive heavy to very heavy rainfall.She advised fishermen not to venture into the sea until October 29.

VIDEO | Bhubaneswar: On Cyclone Arnab, IMD Director Manorama Mohanty says, “The landfall process has now been completed. It began at around 2 AM and continued until 8 AM today, taking approximately six hours to complete. As of now, the very severe cyclonic storm has weakened into a severe cyclonic storm and is moving north-northwestwards. Wind speeds are likely to remain between 100 and 110 km/h, gusting to 120 km/h. The system is very likely to move northwestwards and reach Malkangiri as a depression by this evening or tonight. Odisha is likely to receive rainfall accompanied by strong winds. Wind speeds of 60 to 70 km/h, gusting to 80 km/h, are likely in the districts of Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur and Kalahandi.” (Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/bIyFWTfmBd)

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 28, 2026

The cyclone also disrupted railway services, with at least 22 express and passenger train services cancelled or suspended between October 27 and November 5. Services on the Visakhapatnam–Kirandul and Rourkela–Jagdalpur routes were among those affected, with several cancellations scheduled between October 29 and November 4. The Howrah–Jagdalpur Samaleswari Express also had changes to its departure schedule.