Severe Storm Arnab Hits Andhra Coast Near Yanam, Halting Flights and Flooding Districts

Severe cyclonic storm Arnab made landfall along the Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry coastline on Wednesday morning, crossing the shore just south of Yanam and unleashing extreme precipitation across coastal districts. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that the storm's northern spiral rainbands made initial landfall near Narsapur in West Godavari district around 1:30 a.m. on October 28, 2026, triggering widespread regional disruption before the core system crossed near Yanam.

The IMD’s Cyclone Warning Centre in Visakhapatnam confirmed in its 7:30 a.m. bulletin that the storm's eye hovered immediately south of Yanam at 6:30 a.m., with the rear wall clouds completing the landfall progression shortly thereafter, as detailed in IMD coastal updates published by The Hindu.

India News Field Visual

North coastal Andhra Pradesh experienced the most severe weather impacts overnight. According to rainfall data from the Andhra Pradesh Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Kannuripalem in the Kasimkota mandal of Anakapalli district registered 263 mm of rain in the 24-hour window ending at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, marking the highest localized precipitation figure in the state.

Waterlogging rapidly engulfed municipal roads and low-lying railway corridors in Visakhapatnam, while coastal thoroughfares further south experienced intense storm surges. Strong wave activity spilled onto North Chennai's Ennore Expressway and coastal zones across Tiruvallur district in neighboring Tamil Nadu as early as Tuesday evening.

Regional transportation networks faced extensive operational shutdowns due to the gale winds and water buildup:

• Aviation Halts: Airlines cancelled at least 21 flights serving Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam.
• Airport Shutdowns: Vijayawada airport management cancelled all incoming and outgoing flight operations on Wednesday after grounding services to Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Visakhapatnam, and Kadapa on Tuesday.
• Interstate Preparedness: Civil aviation authorities intervened to monitor tarmac safety, while southern Odisha disaster agencies remained on high alert as outer atmospheric bands swept north.

Disaster relief teams continue clearance operations across flooded arterial corridors as the system transitions inland and gradually weakens into a deep depression.