Cyclone Arnab will intensify into a severe cyclone by Tuesday as it further inches closer to the Andhra Pradesh coast. (File Photo)

Cyclone Arnab has developed in the Bay of Bengal and will hit the north Andhra Pradesh coast Wednesday morning, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Monday.

Cyclone Arnab will intensify into a ‘severe’ cyclone by Tuesday as it further inches closer to the coast. This is the first cyclone to develop in the Bay of Bengal in 2026, which will affect the Indian coast.

While predicting the cyclone’s track, IMD said it is expected to cross the Andhra Pradesh-Yanam coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam with wind speeds of 115-125 km/hour, gusting to 140 km/hour during the morning hours of October 28.

On Monday morning, Cyclone Arnab was located about 590 km north-northwest of Sri Vijay Puram in the Andaman Islands, 650 km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam, 730 km east-southeast of Kakinada, 830 km east of Machilipatnam, and 910 km east of Bapatla.

“Cyclone Arnab will…