Severe cyclonic storm Arnab slammed into the coastline off India's Puducherry and began crossing the shore during the dead of night between Tuesday and Wednesday, triggering heavy downpours and fierce gusts across neighboring India's eastern regions. According to the latest observations from India's Meteorological Department, the storm advanced faster than initially anticipated, initiating landfall between 2:00 am and 4:00 am on Wednesday. The severe weather system is projected to traverse the coastal stretch situated between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam in India's Andhra Pradesh.
Bangladesh Meteorological Department had earlier issued special weather bulletin number 13, forecasting the cyclone's impact on the Indian coastline early Wednesday morning. Speaking on Wednesday morning, Bangladesh Meteorological Department meteorologist Md Tariful Newaz Kabir noted that the cyclone began losing momentum immediately after moving onto landmass and is currently crossing the coast at a very sluggish pace, which may prolong the landfall completion process.
While meteorologists had initially projected widespread rainfall across coastal belts and various regions of Bangladesh, including the capital Dhaka, due to Arnab's peripheral influence, revised assessments indicate that precipitation levels may fall short of earlier expectations. Meteorologist Kabir explained that the cyclone has decelerated and is veering towards a northwesterly trajectory, though light to moderate showers may still occur in isolated areas across Khulna, Rangpur, and Rajshahi divisions. Some coastal localities in Bangladesh have already experienced sporadic rainfall.
The meteorological disturbance has concurrently intensified atmospheric humidity across Bangladesh, fueling intense heatwave conditions over multiple districts on Tuesday, encompassing Dhaka, Khulna, Mymensingh, and Sylhet divisions, where the capital's temperature peaked at 37.1 degrees Celsius. Addressing the likelihood of precipitation in Dhaka, meteorologist Kabir indicated that the capital might witness light, fleeting rainfall by Wednesday afternoon or evening.
The cascading effects of cyclone Arnab have extended beyond Andhra Pradesh into India's West Bengal state, where severe squalls and heavy rainfall have commenced across multiple districts. The Bay of Bengal has turned profoundly turbulent along West Bengal's Digha sea beach in Purba Medinipur district, marked by ferocious gale-force winds battering the coastline. In response to the escalating hazards, local administrative authorities have issued rigorous safety advisories urging residents and tourists to exercise utmost caution.
