New Bay Low-Pressure System Forms as Cyclone Arnab's Remnants Batter Multiple States

UPDATE - follow-up to Cyclone Arnab LIVE: Amit Shah speaks with CMs of affected States, assures all support: A fresh low-pressure area has formed over the south Andaman Sea and is expected to strengthen into a depression by October 31 before moving towards the Andhra Pradesh coast.

Flood and Train Disruptions

Meanwhile, the remnants of Cyclone Arnab continue to cause heavy rainfall and severe disruptions across multiple states after crossing the coast between Andhra Pradesh and Yanam. In Odisha's Ganjam district, about 2,000 people remain cut off by floodwater, with plans underway to airlift about 100 villagers from Sanakhemundi, Asika, and Gopalpur using Coast Guard helicopters as soon as low clouds clear. More than 200 villages across 22 blocks in Ganjam and Gajapati districts are badly hit, and a stretch of National Highway 326 linking Ganjam with Mohana was washed away. A flooded railway bridge between Ichchapuram and Jhadupudi forced the cancellation of the Brahmapur-Visakhapatnam passenger and express trains and the Visakhapatnam-Brahmapur passenger, while long-distance services like the Falaknuma Express are diverted.

Casualties and Wider Impact

Seven people died in Andhra Pradesh due to falling trees, electrocution, wall collapses, and related incidents, while a lineman died during repair work in Vizianagaram. Rivers across Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, and Parvathipuram Manyam swelled, with the Bahuda flooding the border town of Ichchapuram. Ahead of the storm, more than 1,80,000 people were evacuated in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, helping Odisha achieve its zero-casualty target according to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking a central damage assessment team. Operations at three Andhra airports were suspended, while Bhubaneswar airport maintained normal schedules except for a cancelled nine-seater service. The weakened system has also brought rain and squally winds to West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh, with heavy falls recorded in districts like East Singhbhum and eastern Madhya Pradesh.

Context

Tropical storms in the Bay of Bengal frequently generate successive weather systems during the monsoon and post-monsoon transition periods. Relief operations often face delays when low cloud cover and continuous heavy rain prevent aerial rescue attempts.