Bay of Bengal weather system turns into deep depression, headed for Andhra and Odisha coast

A weather system over the westcentral and northwest Bay of Bengal turned into a deep depression on Tuesday evening. The India Meteorological Department reports that the system has been moving west-northwestwards at a speed of about seven kilometers per hour over the past six hours. At last check, the system was centered near latitude 18.0°N and longitude 85.4°E. This places it roughly 140 kilometers east-southeast of Kalingapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and 150 kilometers south-southeast of Gopalpur in Odisha. It is also 210 kilometers south-southwest of Puri in Odisha and 220 kilometers east of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. The weather agency expects the system to keep moving in the same direction and cross the north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coasts between Visakhapatnam and Gopalpur by the night of September 23, 2026. Heavy rain is forecast for parts of Andhra Pradesh from September 22 to 25, with isolated heavy falls expected in Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, and Rayalaseema. Meanwhile, the regional naming list for North Indian Ocean cyclones shows that the next storm to form will be called Arnab. Bangladesh contributed the name, which means ocean in Bengali, to the naming list maintained by the World Meteorological Organization and the India Meteorological Department.