Cyclone Arnab weakens into depression as heavy rain hits multiple states

UPDATE - follow-up to Cyclone Arnab LIVE: Amit Shah speaks with CMs of affected States, assures all support: Rain and squally winds hit parts of West Bengal on Thursday as Cyclone Arnab weakened into a depression and lay centred over south Chhattisgarh and adjoining south Odisha. The India Meteorological Department stated the system is likely to weaken further into a well-marked low pressure, bringing heavy rain to West Bengal till Friday. A fresh low pressure also formed over the South Andaman Sea on Thursday morning and could intensify into a depression over the southwest Bay of Bengal.

Relief And Damage

Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke with the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry, Odisha and Chhattisgarh to assure full assistance, noting that National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Fund teams are carrying out rescue work on a war footing. In Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu directed officials to speed up relief, power restoration and compensation. Rivers in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Parvathipuram Manyam swelled after the cyclone, flooding Ichchapuram, while a lineman died during repairs in Vizianagaram. Meanwhile, rain intensified in parts of Jharkhand with Gudabanda recording 71.4 mm of rainfall, and isolated places in 12 Telangana districts faced forecasts of thunderstorms and lightning.

Context

Cyclonic storms frequently form in the Bay of Bengal during the monsoon and post-monsoon seasons, bringing widespread heavy rainfall and strong winds to India's eastern coastal and inland states. These weather systems typically weaken into depressions and low-pressure areas as they move further inland over land. Disaster management teams are routinely deployed ahead of landfalls to handle rescue operations and minimize loss of life.