How El Niño fuelled Cyclone Arnab’s rapid intensification

BHUBANESWAR: A powerful cyclone named Arnab made landfall in India's Andhra Pradesh state early Wednesday, according to authorities. The storm brought with it strong winds and torrential rain, leading to uprooted trees and power outages, reported officials. Authorities managed to evacuate thousands of residents along India's eastern coast prior to the cyclone's arrival, and several train and flight services were cancelled.

The India Meteorological Department predicted that wind speeds in the area would peak at 125-135km/h, with gusts reaching up to 150kph over the following four hours, before tapering off gradually. The storm surge of 1.5 to 2.5 meters above the normal tide was also anticipated to inundate low-lying areas of Andhra Pradesh within six hours, warned the IMD.

So far, there have been no reported casualties, though trees had been uprooted in several locations and power supplies disrupted, stated Andhra Pradesh's Chief Minister's office. Cyclone Arnab is moving inland from the Bay of Bengal, a region known for spawning devastating tropical cyclones that have claimed countless lives along India's eastern coast.

In 1999, a super cyclone struck Odisha, killing nearly 10,000 people, which remains one of the country's deadliest natural disasters.