Cyclone Arnab weakens into deep depression
What's the story
Cyclone Arnab has weakened into a deep depression, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday. The system is centered around 60km south of Malkangiri district headquarters and is moving northward at a speed of 15km/h. It is expected to weaken further into a depression in the next few hours and by evening into a well-marked low-pressure area. The storm crossed Andhra coast early Wednesday, claiming five lives and causing extensive damage to crops and public infrastructure across coastal districts.
Weather impact
Continuous rainfall disrupts transportation, causes landslides
The cyclone has caused heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in southern Odisha, especially in Gajapati and Ganjam districts.
"In the 24 hours that ended today at 8:30 am, Rayagada recorded 40mm of rainfall, and since then till today in the evening, about 26mm of rainfall has been recorded," District Collector Ashutosh Kulkarni told reporters.
Rising water levels in the Vamsadhara and Mahendratanaya rivers have also raised concerns of flooding in low-lying areas.
Safety measures
Vamsadhara river flowing at 55.58 meters
The Vamsadhara river at Kashinagar in Gajapati was flowing at 55.58 meters at 7:00am on Thursday, above its danger mark of 54.60 meters.
In Goshani and Rayagada blocks, the rising water level of the Mahendratanaya river has inundated several villages, with waterlogging leaving people stranded in some areas and disrupting movement and daily activities.
IMD
Rain over next 2 days in several states
While cyclone Arnab has weakened into a deep depression, fishermen have been advised not to venture into the northwest Bay of Bengal and along and off the West Bengal coast.
The IMD has issued an orange warning for very heavy rainfall in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, East Madhya Pradesh, East Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Odisha.
Heavy rainfall is also predicted over Coastal Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Sikkim and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands over the next two days.