India prepares for Cyclone Arnab

Andhra Pradesh and Odisha were preparing to evacuate vulnerable coastal communities before Cyclone Arnab’s forecast landfall on Wednesday. India’s weather office said the storm was expected to reach Andhra Pradesh by Wednesday morning, with gusts of up to 140 kilometres per hour, and could intensify further, according to Dawn.

Heavy to extremely heavy rain was forecast for northern and central coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh and southern Odisha. Dawn reported that a senior Andhra Pradesh disaster management official told Reuters that 570,000 people had been identified as vulnerable and evacuations were due to begin on Monday evening. The state also ordered boats at sea to return to shore and called for electricity supplies to be restored quickly if disrupted.

Odisha planned to close schools and colleges in five districts on Tuesday and Wednesday. Its government was also preparing to transfer people from low-lying areas into cyclone shelters.

Sri Lanka records death and disruption

Separate severe weather in Sri Lanka had killed one person, injured another and affected 10,545 people from 2,736 families across 12 districts, Newswire reported, citing a Disaster Management Centre situation report issued at 6pm on October 26, 2026. The death was attributed to drowning in Madampe, in Puttalam district. A person in Ingiriya, Kalutara district, was injured when a tree fell on a home.

Four safety centres in Colombo, Ratnapura and Mannar were sheltering 182 people from 67 families, while another 60 people were staying with relatives. Two homes had been destroyed and 215 sustained partial damage, according to the report.

Rail services were suspended between Gampola and Nanu Oya on the Main Line and halted between Peradeniya and Matale. Floodwater of up to 2.5 feet blocked two roads in Kalutara, while the severe weather also disrupted power infrastructure. Reservoir spill gates were opened as water levels rose, and landslide warnings covering high-risk divisions in six districts included both amber and red alerts.