Ongoing story
Cyclone Arnab's deep depression crosses the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coast, over 1,500 evacuated from Gajapati
6 updates, 19 September 2026 to 25 September 2026.
- 19 September 2026:
IMD tracks possible first cyclone of the season forming in the Bay of Bengal
The India Meteorological Department is tracking a cyclonic circulation over the north Andaman Sea that is expected to consolidate into a low pressure area around 19 to 20 September and could intensify into a depression by 21 or 22 September as it moves into the central Bay of Bengal. Forecast models suggest the system, which would be provisionally named Arnab if it strengthens into a cyclonic storm, may track towards the Odisha and Andhra Pradesh coasts, though its eventual intensity and path remain uncertain. It would be the first cyclone of the year in the North Indian Ocean if it forms.
- 20 September 2026:
IMD expects Bay of Bengal system to become a depression around 21 September, cross Odisha-Andhra coast by the 23rd
The India Meteorological Department said the low pressure area that formed over the Andaman Sea on the evening of 19 September 2026, potentially the first cyclone of the season if it strengthens further, is very likely to intensify into a depression over the east-central Bay of Bengal on 21 September and a deep depression over the west-central Bay of Bengal on 22 September. The system is expected to reach the south Odisha to north Andhra Pradesh coast around the morning of 23 September, with winds of 45 to 55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph and rough to very rough sea conditions forecast along the Odisha coast. The IMD has advised fishermen not to venture into the Bay of Bengal from 21 to 23 September, and the Odisha government has placed 20 coastal and southern districts on alert.
- 22 September 2026:
Bay of Bengal system intensifies into deep depression, IMD warns of landfall near Odisha-Andhra coast on 23 September
The India Meteorological Department said the low pressure system being tracked over the Bay of Bengal, which would be named Arnab if it strengthens into a cyclonic storm, intensified into a deep depression over the west central Bay of Bengal on 22 September 2026. The system was forecast to move west northwestwards and cross the south Odisha, north Andhra Pradesh coast near Kalingapatnam and Srikakulam district by the morning of 23 September. The IMD warned of isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall over north coastal Andhra Pradesh from 22 to 24 September and south Odisha from 22 to 25 September, along with gusty winds of 40 to 50 kmph over several Odisha districts including Baleshwar, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Kendrapada, and advised fishermen against venturing into the sea.
- 23 September 2026:
IMD says Bay of Bengal deep depression to cross Odisha-Andhra coast on the night of 23 to 24 September
The India Meteorological Department said on 22 September 2026 that the deep depression over the Bay of Bengal is expected to cross the north Andhra Pradesh, south Odisha coast between Visakhapatnam and Gopalpur during the night of 23 September and the early hours of 24 September, with winds gusting up to 75 kmph between the morning of 23 September and the evening of 24 September. A red alert covers Koraput, Gajapati and Ganjam districts of Odisha for heavy to very heavy rain with isolated extremely heavy falls on 23 and 24 September, while Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Koraput and Malkangiri remain on red alert for 24 and 25 September, and several districts have shut schools and anganwadi centres as a precaution. Odisha's Chief Secretary said the IMD has confirmed the system is expected to intensify only into a deep depression rather than a cyclone, so it is not expected to be named Arnab despite the name being reserved for the next storm on the roster.
- 24 September 2026:
Deep depression over Bay of Bengal completes landfall near Andhra Pradesh Odisha coast, over 5,000 evacuated
The India Meteorological Department said the front sector of the deep depression over the Bay of Bengal began entering land close to the southwest of Kalingapatnam, between Visakhapatnam and Gopalpur, in the early hours of 24 September 2026, with the landfall process continuing for about two hours before the system moved inland while still holding deep depression intensity. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi reviewed the situation on the evening of 23 September and directed officials to ensure zero casualties, with 33 Disaster Rapid Action Force teams deployed and nine more on standby, 380 fire and emergency teams alerted, and around 5,000 people moved to safer locations from low lying and landslide prone areas. A house collapse linked to the heavy rain killed one person in Balasore, even as squally weather with winds of 55 to 65 kmph and red alerts for heavy to very heavy rainfall continued across southern Odisha.
- 25 September 2026:
Cyclone Arnab's deep depression crosses the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coast, over 1,500 evacuated from Gajapati
The deep depression associated with Cyclone Arnab crossed the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coast late on 23 September 2026, bringing high winds and heavy rain to both states, according to the India Meteorological Department. Odisha authorities evacuated more than 1,500 residents from Gajapati district alone, on top of about 5,000 evacuated a day earlier as heavy rain lashed coastal Odisha, and placed 380 Fire and Emergency Services teams along with 33 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force teams on alert. The system was expected to retain its intensity through Thursday before gradually weakening, and the cyclone was named Arnab, meaning ocean in Bengali, by Bangladesh.