Very severe cyclonic storm ‘Arnab’ began impacting coastal Andhra Pradesh early Tuesday, bringing gusty winds and heavy rainfall that are expected to intensify across the state’s northern coast over the next few hours, State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) managing director Prakhar Jain said.
Preliminary assessments indicate that 16 districts, spanning 2,460 revenue villages and 92 urban areas, were expected to face significant impact. Authorities have designated 1,763 cyclone shelters, set up 2,907 control rooms at mandal levels, and deployed 3,185 nodal officers.
Officials said the rainfall intensity and the geographical spread of the impact would depend on the cyclone’s movement and the conditions prevailing during landfall.
The combination of intense rain and strong winds could cause damage to trees, electricity infrastructure, temporary structures and buildings in vulnerable areas. Heavy to extremely heavy rainfall is likely at several places in Srikakulam, Manyam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Alluri Sitarama Raju, Polavaram, Anakapalli, NTR, Krishna, Guntur and Bapatla districts. Heavy rainfall is also likely in Palnadu, Prakasam, Markapuram and Nellore districts.
Widespread rainfall is forecast across Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday and Wednesday, with extremely heavy rainfall likely in several districts. He said extremely heavy rainfall was forecast in Kakinada, Konaseema, East Godavari, West Godavari and Eluru districts on Tuesday. On Wednesday, extremely heavy rainfall is forecast in Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli, Alluri Sitarama Raju, Polavaram, Kakinada, Konaseema, East Godavari, West Godavari, Eluru, NTR and Krishna districts.
