Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Arnab made landfall on India’s Andhra Pradesh coast on Wednesday with uprooting trees, damaging homes, and disrupting power grids with winds reaching up to 150 km/h.
More than 180,000 people were evacuated across Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. No casualties have been reported though regional flight operations, train services and schools were suspended. In neighboring Nepal the authorities halted high-altitude trekking permits over severe blizzard and avalanche risks.
Although direct impacts on Bangladesh remain minimal, experts note a shifting trend in Bay of Bengal weather patterns. According to Bangladeshi meteorologist Abul Kalam Mallik while the overall frequency of October cyclones has declined since 1900, the proportion of storms escalating into catastrophic severe cyclones has risen significantly.
Historically, October–November storms have proven deadly for Bangladesh of the devastating 1970 cyclone (300,000+ deaths), the 1991 cyclone (138,000+ deaths) and 2007's Cyclone Sidr (3,363 deaths). However the enhanced early-warning systems, timely evacuations and expanded shelters have dramatically curtailed casualties over the past decade.
Disaster management expert Associate Professor Mohammad Moniruzzaman Khan highlighted that while human response has improved, long-term risks remain. He called for strengthening weak coastal embankments and protecting the Sundarbans mangrove forest which acts as a vital natural shield against tropical storms along the coast.
