New weather system brews in Bay of Bengal as Cyclone Arnab's remnants drench central states

UPDATE - follow-up to Cyclone Arnab LIVE: New Bay system likely to head for Andhra coast; 300 villages marooned in Ganjam: A fresh low-pressure area over the south Andaman Sea is predicted to strengthen into a depression by October 31 and move towards the Andhra Pradesh coast, threatening more heavy rain on November 1 and 2. Meanwhile, the remnants of Cyclone Arnab have weakened into a depression over central Chhattisgarh, bringing widespread rain to West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh.

Flood and Rescue

About 300 villages remain cut off in Odisha's Ganjam district, where a Coast Guard helicopter and 54 teams from the NDRF, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force, and Fire Service are conducting rescue operations. In Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu conducted an aerial survey of flooded agricultural lands in Krishna, West Godavari, and Konaseema districts, and wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking a central damage assessment team. The Indian Coast Guard also successfully airlifted 13 crew members from the stranded bulk carrier Sigma Pearl off Antarvedi, while operations to rescue the remaining seven sailors continued.

Transport Disruptions

Flooding from the swollen Bahuda river submerged a railway bridge and forced the East Coast Railway to cancel nine trains and divert 14 on the Howrah-Chennai route, including the Bhubaneswar-Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express. Srikakulam district recorded the state's highest rainfall in 24 hours with Kanchili mandal receiving 248.5 mm. Six fishing boats were damaged or sunk at Visakhapatnam Fishing Harbour during the storm's peak winds.

Context

Tropical storms forming in the Bay of Bengal frequently trigger widespread transport disruptions, agricultural damage, and emergency rescue operations across India's eastern coastal states. Meteorological authorities continuously monitor these evolving low-pressure systems to issue timely warnings and guide disaster response teams.