A low-pressure area over the southeast Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a depression within the next few hours and further strengthen into a cyclonic storm by November 1, Indian Meteorological Department said on Saturday.
The weather system is likely to move west-northwestwards and reach the west-central Bay of Bengal, near the Andhra Pradesh coast, by the evening of November 2, 2026, the weather department said.
The storm made landfall early on October 28, between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam along the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coast. Its sustained wind speed at the time was around 130 kmph. The Odisha government has launched a search operation after 12 people went missing after a rain-triggered landslide struck a village bordering Ganjam and Kandhamal districts a day ago, officials said on Saturday, news agency PTI reported. Over 150 personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force and Special Operation Group have been engaged in the operation to locate the missing people, Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh P Patil was quoted as saying. “A hilltop village was home to 26 people. Thirteen of them managed to escape from the landslide, while 13 others went missing. The landslide at Gidipabali village under the Baibali panchayat in Ganjam’s Bhanjanagar block was among the 10 such incidents that occurred during incessant rain triggered by cyclone Arnab.
The latest cyclone threat comes days after Cyclone Arnab wreaked havoc in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. The cyclone left behind a trail of destruction in Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring Odisha. Trees were uprooted, homes flooded and agricultural fields inundated. Fishing activities were restricted, while transport and electricity networks faced major disruptions. One of the missing people has been traced, and others are still untraceable. Heavy rain inundated hundreds of villages in the state’s southern part.
“Well-Marked Low Pressure Area over Southeast Bay of Bengal Likely to Intensify into a Depression within 6 Hours and Further into a Cyclonic Storm within 24 Hours; Expected to Move West-Northwestwards and Reach West-central Bay of Bengal Near Andhra Pradesh Coast by the Evening of 2 November 2026,” the IMD said in a post on X. The search operation has been going on since Friday night,” Patil said.
