Cyclone ‘Arnab’ LIVE updates: Schools shut in Odisha amid heavy rain; deep depression formed in Bay of Bengal

Cyclone ‘Arnab’ LIVE updates: As heavy rainfall continues, an adequate stock of essential supplies and equipment, health and emergency services were on standby. Disaster mitigation teams have also been put on high alert, a revenue and disaster management department official said, news agency ANI reported.

Continuous monitoring of water levels in rivers, water bodies, and dams is also being carried out.

Gajapati district Collector Akshay Sunil Agrawal said that they have identified as many as 140 vulnerable places for landslides and mudslides and prevented people from going to those places, according to ANI.

Cyclone ‘Arnab’ LIVE updates: Vehicular movement on certain roads including at Kalinga Ghat connecting Ganjam and Kandhamal have been restricted. Ferry service between Satapada and Jahnikuda in Chilika Lake will remain suspended for four days, until September 25, due to the prevailing weather conditions, an official order said, news agency ANI reported.

Reports of tree falling and road blockades were also reported from Gajapati, Ganjam and some other districts as heavy rain continues to lash the state.

Cyclone ‘Arnab’ LIVE updates: Keeping in view of the weather situation, the local administration of several districts cancelled leave of government employees and asked them to join duty as IMD warns of heavy to very heavy rainfall, news agency ANI reported.

Cyclone ‘Arnab’ Live Updates: According to IMD website, the weather department classifies low-pressure systems based on their intensity, using pressure patterns over land and maximum sustained wind speed over the sea.

Based on wind speed, a system with maximum sustained three-minute surface winds of 17-27 knots (31-50 kmph) is called a depression, while 28-33 knots (52-61 kmph) is classified as a deep depression.

Once maximum sustained winds reach 34 knots (63 kmph) or more, the system is classified as a cyclonic storm. Thus, a low-pressure area does not automatically mean a cyclone; it must intensify and cross the prescribed thresholds to be classified as one.

Cyclone ‘Arnab’ Live Updates: Schools and anganwadi centres in four districts of Odisha were declared shut as heavy rain lashed the state.

IMD scientists warned that the heavy rainfall could lead to rising water levels in rivers and cause flooding in low-lying areas, particularly in places that have already received sustained rain.

In Khurda district, all schools were asked to remain shut from Tuesday to Thursday as a precautionary measure while in Ganjam district, the district administration has ordered the closure of all government, government-aided and private schools for the same period.

Jagatsinghpur district administration has announced the closure of all schools and Anganwadi centres on Tuesday. In Gajapati, schools and Anganwadi centres will remain shut from Tuesday to Thursday. The order covers both government and private institutions.

Cyclone ‘Arnab’ Live Updates: The depression is also expected to affect coastal Andhra Pradesh, with the system forecast to cross between Visakhapatnam and Gopalpur.

The IMD said the depression was around 320 km from Visakhapatnam and was moving west-northwestwards. It is expected to intensify into a deep depression over the west-central and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal before crossing the coast.

The weather office has warned of squally weather and strong winds along and off the south Odisha-north Andhra Pradesh coasts. Winds may gust up to 75 kmph between the morning of September 23 and evening of September 24.

Cyclone Arnab Live Updates: Odisha is expected to be among the worst-affected states, with heavy rainfall already reported in several parts. The state government has deployed men and machinery at strategic locations to deal with the impact of a deep depression that is likely to hit the state on Wednesday night, news agency ANI reported.

Collectors of 11 districts joined the meeting virtually, and Garg directed them to keep cyclone and flood shelters ready to accommodate people if required.

"I have visited several cyclone shelters during the day and overseen arrangements there. The people are being made aware of the impending weather conditions," Ganjam Collector V Keerthi Vasan told reporters.

Cyclone Arnab Live Updates: While the deep depression in Bay of Bengal has not formed into a cyclone, the next cyclone to form over the North Indian Ocean would be named Arnab, according to the roster that lists names of cyclonic storms.

Cyclone Arnab Live updates: Odisha and Andhra Pradesh faced heavy rain on Tuesday due to a weather system over the Bay of Bengal that is forecast to intensify into a deep depression and move towards the coast, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

IMD in its latest update said that the system lay at about 140 km from Kalingapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), 150 km from Gopalpur (Odisha), 210 km from Puri (Odisha) and 220 km east of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh).