Odisha and Andhra Pradesh have closed schools, prohibited sea fishing, and kept rescue teams on standby ahead of Cyclone Arnab's expected landfall. (PTI Photo)

Cyclone Arnab has moved closer to India’s east coast and is expected to hit the north Andhra Pradesh coast during Wednesday forenoon, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The IMD added that the “very severe” storm will reach near Yanam, off the Andhra Pradesh coast, by late Tuesday.

“It is likely to move west-northwest till Tuesday, after which the cyclone approaches the Yanam coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam as a “severe” cyclone with a maximum wind speed of 115-125 kmph, gusting to 140 kmph Wednesday,” the IMD said in a statement on Tuesday.

The IMD said the cyclone had reached about 260 km southeast of Visakhapatnam, 300 km east-southeast of Kakinada, and 460 km east of Bapatla—the epicentre of the landfall.…