Quick answer: Cyclone Arnab was a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm that formed over the Bay of Bengal. It crossed the coast of Andhra Pradesh and Yanam (Puducherry) near Kakinada in the early hours of 28 October 2026. Bangladesh contributed the name “Arnab” to the North Indian Ocean list, and the WMO list gives its pronunciation as “Ornab”.
Why Cyclone Arnab is in the news
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the landfall process began at about 1:20 am on 28 October 2026, earlier than forecast because the storm sped up. It crossed the coast south-west of Yanam, near 16.45°N, 81.90°E, about 20 km east-north-east of Narsapur and 60 km south-west of Kakinada. Peak sustained winds were 125–135 km/h, gusting to 150 km/h. Over land, Arnab weakened into a Severe Cyclonic Storm and was forecast to become a deep depression near Malkangiri, Odisha.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu asked Union Home Minister Amit Shah for central damage-assessment teams. He said 16 NDRF and 11 SDRF teams were working in 14 districts and over 28,000 people had been moved to relief centres. Konaseema, Kakinada and East and West Godavari were among the worst hit. In Odisha, IMD issued a red warning for five districts, and rain also reached Jharkhand and West Bengal.
Key facts about Cyclone Arnab
- Peak category: Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (VSCS) on the IMD scale.
- Landfall: Andhra Pradesh–Yanam coast, between Narsapur and Kakinada, on 28 October 2026.
- Name: given by Bangladesh. It is the first name in column 3 of the 2020 list, and the next name in that column is Murasu (India).
- Yanam is an enclave of the Union Territory of Puducherry inside Andhra Pradesh. Exams often test this.
IMD classification of cyclonic disturbances
These bands come from IMD’s terminology for the North Indian Ocean. They are based on maximum sustained surface wind.
| Category | Wind speed (knots) | Wind speed (km/h) |
|---|---|---|
| Low pressure area | below 17 | below 31 |
| Depression | 17–27 | 31–49 |
| Deep Depression | 28–33 | 50–61 |
| Cyclonic Storm (gets a name) | 34–47 | 62–88 |
| Severe Cyclonic Storm | 48–63 | 89–117 |
| Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (Arnab) | 64–89 | 118–166 |
| Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm | 90–119 | 167–221 |
| Super Cyclonic Storm | 120 and above | 222 and above |
How North Indian Ocean cyclones are named
- The WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones agreed to name storms at its 27th session, held in Muscat in 2000. Naming began in September 2004 with names from eight members.
- Five more countries joined later, so the panel now has 13 members: Bangladesh, India, Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the UAE and Yemen.
- The current table has 13 names from each member. Names are used column by column, starting with Nisarga in 2020. A name is never reused.
- RSMC New Delhi (IMD) gives the name once winds reach 34 knots.
- A storm that forms in the South China Sea, crosses Thailand and enters the Bay of Bengal keeps its original name.
Why the Bay of Bengal gets more cyclones than the Arabian Sea
According to IMD’s Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre, the Bay of Bengal sees about four cyclones for every one in the Arabian Sea. An IMD climatology report counted 190 Bay of Bengal cyclones and 73 Arabian Sea cyclones between 1990 and 2020. The reasons usually given are:
- Warmer water: sea surface temperatures in the Bay are generally above 28°C in the cyclone seasons, while strong winds and evaporation keep the Arabian Sea cooler for much of the year.
- Moisture: dry air from the Arabian Peninsula reduces humidity over the Arabian Sea, and cyclones need moist air.
- Pacific “seed” systems: remnants of west Pacific typhoons can drift westwards into the Bay and strengthen again. The Arabian Sea gets no such outside trigger.
The gap is narrowing, though. Experts note that cyclones in the Arabian Sea have become more frequent over the last two decades. IITM Pune scientists estimate that the North Indian Ocean produces about 6 per cent of the world’s cyclones, roughly 4 per cent from the Bay of Bengal and 2 per cent from the Arabian Sea. IMD’s storm seasons for both seas are April–May and October–December.
Exam angle: how NDA, CDS and CAPF can ask this
- The IMD wind-speed bands, especially where a “cyclonic storm” begins (34 knots or 62 km/h), are a likely statement-based question.
- Match-the-name questions are common, for example cyclone name to the country that proposed it (Arnab–Bangladesh, Murasu–India).
- Coastal geography (Yanam, Kakinada, Godavari delta) and disaster-response bodies (NDRF, SDRF, NDMA) suit CAPF papers.
Practice MCQs
Q1. On the IMD scale, a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm has maximum sustained winds of:
(a) 62–88 km/h (b) 89–117 km/h (c) 118–166 km/h (d) 167–221 km/h
Answer: (c). 118–166 km/h equals 64–89 knots.
Q2. The name “Arnab” was proposed by:
(a) India (b) Bangladesh (c) Myanmar (d) Sri Lanka
Answer: (b). It appears in Bangladesh’s row of the WMO/ESCAP list.
Q3. Yanam, where Cyclone Arnab made landfall, is part of:
(a) Andhra Pradesh (b) Odisha (c) Puducherry (d) Tamil Nadu
Answer: (c). Yanam is an enclave of the UT of Puducherry on the Andhra coast.
Q4. How many countries make up the WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones that names North Indian Ocean storms?
(a) 8 (b) 10 (c) 13 (d) 15
Answer: (c). There were eight founding members in 2004, and five more joined later.
Frequently asked questions
Where did Cyclone Arnab make landfall?
It crossed the Andhra Pradesh–Yanam coast south-west of Yanam, between Narsapur and Kakinada, on 28 October 2026.
What category was Cyclone Arnab?
IMD classified it as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm. It weakened to a Severe Cyclonic Storm after landfall.
Who named Cyclone Arnab?
Bangladesh proposed the name. The WMO list gives its pronunciation as “Ornab”, and it is commonly understood to mean “sea” in Bengali.
Why does the Bay of Bengal see more cyclones?
It has warmer surface water, more moisture and a supply of Pacific typhoon remnants, which together favour cyclone formation.
Also read on NCA: Operation Sagar Bandhu: Navy’s cyclone relief | NDMA and the Disaster Management Act | Monthly defence current affairs PDFs | Online NDA coaching
Sources: All India Radio, Daily Pioneer (IMD release), All India Radio (AP CM letter), IMD terminology, WMO naming list, The South First. Facts as reported up to 31 October 2026.
Featured image background: National Aeronautics Administration – ‘Aqua’ satellite / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.
