Chennai, Oct 28:
The Very Severe Cyclonic Storm “Arnab” crossed the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts at 0800 hrs on Wednesday morning, before it weakened into a Severe Cyclonic Storm.
In a National bulletin, the IMD said the Cyclone ARNAB crossed Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts about 20 km East-northeast of Narsapur, 40 Km Southwestof Yanam and 60 km Southwest of Kakinada
between 0200 hrs and 0800 hours today as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm with the maximum sustained wind speed of 125-135 kmph and gusting up to 150 kmph.
The latest observations indicate that the landfallprocess has been completed with the central region moving completely into land.
The system is likely to move north-northwestwards during the next 48 hours and weaken gradually. It will weaken into a Cyclonic Storm during the next six hours and further into a Deep Depression during the subsequent six hours.
Storm surge of about one m height above astronomical tide is very likely to inundate low lying areas of Andhra Pradesh during the next 3 hours and 0.5 to 1 m during the subsequent 6 hours.
It said in view of the heavy rains over Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, Visakhapatnam Waltair received a maximum of 31.5 cm of rain till 0830 hrs this monring, followed by Vizianagaram 301, anakapalli 27.5,Srikakulam 25.7 and Krishna dist 22.3 cms.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu held an emergency review meeting with district collectors and officials over the impact of Cyclone Arnab at 6.15 am on Wednesday.
During the telephonic review, he directed officials to clear fallen trees in cyclone-affected areas and restore power supply as soon as weather conditions improve.
The Chief Minister also instructed officials to take precautionary measures to prevent lakes and canals from overflowing and intensify relief operations in areas affected by heavy rain and strong winds.
He stressed the need for coordinated action by district administrations to address the impact of the cyclone and ensure that essential services are restored at the earliest.
Meanwhile, twelve IndiGo flights connecting Chennai with three destinations in Andhra Pradesh — Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Rajahmundry — were cancelled on Wednesday due to Cyclone Arnab, causing inconvenience to passengers at Chennai airport.
The cancellations included six departures from Chennai and six arrivals from the three cities, as the cyclone crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast, bringing heavy rain and strong winds.
The six cancelled departures were the IndiGo flight to Visakhapatnam scheduled for 5.25 am, the Vijayawada flight at 7 am, another Visakhapatnam flight at 10.30 am, the Rajahmundry flight at 2.35 pm, the Vijayawada flight at 2.45 pm and the Visakhapatnam flight at 4 pm.
In addition, six IndiGo flights scheduled to arrive in Chennai from Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Rajahmundry were also cancelled.
The cancellations affected passengers travelling between Chennai and the three Andhra Pradesh cities. Passengers were advised to check their flight status with the airline before proceeding to the airport.