NEW DELHI, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Very Severe Cyclone Arnab, with wind speeds of nearly 130 km per hour, was expected to make landfall in India's eastern and south-eastern coastal areas in the early hours of Wednesday morning, said the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday.
Several thousand people were shifted from the affected coastal areas to safer places, and power supply was cut for the next 24 hours in many cyclone-affected areas, including Visakhapatnam in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
Schools and other educational institutions were also shut for the next couple of days in at least 14 affected districts of Andhra Pradesh, even as inclement weather prevailed in these areas. Over 20 flights taking off or landing at Andhra Pradesh's Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam airports were either cancelled or rescheduled.
"It is very likely to move nearly west-northwestwards during next few hours, then northwestwards and cross Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to south of Yanam as a very severe cyclonic storm with the maximum sustained wind speed of 125-135 kmph gusting to 150 kmph by forenoon of 28th October," said the IMD in a statement on Tuesday.
A local media report stated that squally weather, rough sea conditions, and strong winds, along with a storm surge with wave heights going 1 to 2 meters above the astronomical tide, were expected to affect coastal Andhra Pradesh. ■