The cyclone is scheduled to make landfall on Wednesday, and more than 12 million people will live along its projected path. Published October 27, 2026 October 27, 2026 India is evacuating tens of thousands of people from its eastern coast as the increasingly strong Cyclone Arnab batters its coastal states. The cyclone has intensified since Monday and is expected to make landfall on Wednesday morning. The India Meteorological Department has issued a warning for the coastal states of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, saying the “very severe” cyclonic storm was centered just 260 kilometers (160 miles) southeast of the port city of Visakhapatnam, the most populous in Andhra Pradesh. The department expects Arnab to turn northwest and cross the coast at 11:30 local time (0600 GMT) on Wednesday, with sustained winds of 115-125 km/h (71-78 mph) and gusts of up to 140 km/h (87 mph). Andhra Pradesh, India [Al Jazeera]Arnab formed over the Bay of Bengal, which is among the world’s major breeding grounds for tropical cyclones, which frequently affect the eastern coastal regions of India. More than 12 million people live along the cyclone’s projected path, which extends into inland and northern India, according to the Andhra Pradesh disaster management authority. Nearly 50,000 people had been moved to shelters from vulnerable areas of the state by Monday night, out of an estimated 400,000 in need. “The evacuation continues,” Jain said. Railway authorities in the region said on social media that at least 12 trains had been canceled in eastern India and that services on 53 routes along the southern coast had been suspended for Tuesday and Wednesday. In Odisha, authorities have announced plans to evacuate 48,000 people out of danger, according to local newspaper The Hindu. Neighboring Nepal has advised tourists to stay away from high-altitude areas for fear that Arnab could bring heavy rain, snowstorms and avalanches in the Himalayas from Thursday night to Saturday. The advisory comes after a flash flood in the Himalayas in August killed about 1,500 people in the country.
