PIB TrackerCyclone ARNAB heads for Andhra, and the NCMC meets
A Bay of Bengal deep depression became cyclonic storm ARNAB, forecast to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast as a very severe cyclonic storm by the forenoon of 28 October.
What happened
- The National Crisis Management Committee, chaired by Cabinet Secretary T.V. Somanathan, met on 26 October to review preparedness for the cyclone in the Bay of Bengal.
- The IMD reported that a deep depression over the east-central and adjoining south-east Bay had moved westwards and intensified into cyclonic storm ARNAB, about 650 km east-south-east of Visakhapatnam at 0530 IST.
- It is forecast to cross the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam as a very severe cyclonic storm, 115-125 kmph gusting to 140 kmph, by the forenoon of 28 October.
- Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Puducherry reported shelters and evacuation arrangements, NDRF and SDRF teams on standby and district control rooms activated; the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard are ready.
- The Cabinet Secretary set the goal as zero loss of life and the fastest restoration of essential services, and directed that eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar be alerted for heavy rain.
For Prelims
- NCMC: the National Crisis Management Committee, chaired by the Cabinet Secretary; this meeting brought in the Union Home Secretary, NDMA, NDRF, IMD, the Coast Guard, the CISC and the Secretaries for petroleum, fisheries, ports and power.
- Track: west-north-west till 27 October, then north-west; landfall over the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam; afterwards Telangana, southern Odisha, south and central Chhattisgarh, eastern UP and Bihar.
- Intensity at landfall: very severe cyclonic storm, maximum sustained wind 115-125 kmph, gusting to 140 kmph, by the forenoon of 28 October 2026.
- Jurisdictions in the path: Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and the UT of Puducherry (Yanam) sat on the NCMC; eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are to be alerted for heavy rainfall.
- Position at 0530 IST, 26 Oct: about 590 km NW of Sri Vijaya Puram (Andaman Islands), 650 km ESE of Visakhapatnam, 730 km ESE of Kakinada, 830 km E of Machilipatnam and 910 km E of Bapatla.
- The name: ARNAB, contributed by Bangladesh to the list released in 2020 by the 13-member WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones; names are drawn in order.
- When a system is named: only on reaching cyclonic-storm strength - ARNAB was a deep depression until it intensified on 26 October.
- Fishing ban window: 26-29 October, south-west and central Bay of Bengal and off the Andhra, Odisha and Yanam coasts; the Coast Guard has shepherded vessels to shore.
For UPSC: Cyclone ARNAB (name from Bangladesh, WMO/ESCAP 2020 list): very severe cyclonic storm, landfall Bapatla-Visakhapatnam by 28 Oct, 115-125 kmph; NCMC chaired by the Cabinet Secretary.
What it is NOT: Yanam, on the landfall stretch, belongs to the Union Territory of Puducherry, not to Andhra Pradesh - which is why Puducherry sat on the NCMC. The release gives no evacuation numbers, no count of NDRF teams deployed, no rainfall totals and no storm-surge forecast, so the scale of the threat to the coast is not yet quantified.
For Mains
Syllabus: GS3.15 · GS1.12 · Linkage L2
Anchor
India's cyclone record is now judged by the deaths that did not happen. 'Zero loss of life', set as the objective two days before landfall, is a benchmark only a forecast-and-evacuation system that works can set for itself.
Substantiation (data)
A forecast track, a landfall window between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam and an intensity of 115-125 kmph gusting to 140 kmph, issued about two days ahead of landfall, with five jurisdictions reporting shelters, evacuation plans and NDRF and SDRF teams in place.
Exemplification
The NCMC brought five States and UTs, NDMA, NDRF, IMD, the Coast Guard, the CISC and the Secretaries for petroleum, fisheries, ports and power into one meeting - the Centre coordinating every agency whose assets sit on the cyclone's track.
Problematisation
The inland reach - Telangana, southern Odisha, Chhattisgarh, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar - is where cyclone preparedness is thinnest, because those States plan for heavy rain rather than for a cyclone's winds and flooding.
Way-forward
Extend impact-based warnings and pre-positioned response teams to the inland districts on the forecast track, not only to the coastal districts that see the landfall.
Position
The Centre's stated objective is zero loss of life, minimal damage to property and infrastructure, and restoration of essential services in the shortest possible time.
Deploys into: Disaster management + geophysical phenomena (GS3.15, GS1.12) · cyclone early warning, the crisis-management architecture and inland impacts of landfalling cyclones.
Cabinet Secretariat · 2026-10-26 · PRID 2328434 · PIB source ↗