​​​​​​​Bhubaneswar/ New Delhi, October 29: The remnants of Cyclone Arnab, which made landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coast, have weakened into a depression over Chhattisgarh, triggering widespread heavy to extremely heavy rainfall across several states, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

IMD Director General M. Mohapatra said northern Andhra Pradesh and Odisha received extremely heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours, with parts of southern Odisha recording an exceptional 55 centimetres of precipitation.

“The cyclone that crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast has gradually moved northward while weakening. As of this morning, it is centred over Chhattisgarh as a depression,” Mohapatra told ANI, adding that Odisha recorded some of the highest rainfall totals.

The weather system is expected to continue bringing heavy rainfall to eastern and central India over the next two days. According to the IMD, eastern Chhattisgarh and western Odisha are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall on Wednesday, with isolated areas potentially recording extremely heavy precipitation exceeding 20 centimetres.

Rainfall is also forecast across Jharkhand, Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh, eastern Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Sikkim on Wednesday and Thursday.

Mohapatra further said an orange alert had been issued for Delhi, where light to moderate rainfall is expected. Several parts of Northeast India have also been placed under yellow and orange alerts, depending on the anticipated intensity of rainfall.

Depression Likely to Weaken Further; Odisha Districts on Alert

According to IMD scientist Mohanty, the remnants of Cyclone Arnab were positioned over southern Chhattisgarh and adjoining southern Odisha. The system moved northwestwards at a speed of 18 kilometres per hour during the preceding six hours.

It is expected to weaken further into a well-marked low-pressure area over northern Chhattisgarh and adjoining northeastern and northwestern Odisha by Wednesday evening.

Mohanty warned that heavy to very heavy rainfall was likely in Sundargarh and Bargarh districts, with isolated locations potentially experiencing extremely heavy downpours.

An orange alert has been issued for Keonjhar, Deogarh, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda and Mayurbhanj districts, warning of very heavy rainfall. A yellow alert has also been issued for several other districts, including Ganjam, Gajapati and Balasore.

The IMD is also monitoring another developing weather system over the southern Andaman Sea and adjoining areas, where a fresh low-pressure area is likely to form.

Rescue and Relief Operations Intensified in Odisha

Meanwhile, authorities have intensified rescue, evacuation and relief operations in flood-affected areas of Odisha, particularly in Ganjam district, where persistent rainfall has caused flooding and waterlogging in low-lying areas.

Odisha Director General of Police Vinaytosh Mishra said that although wind speeds remained relatively moderate, heavy rainfall towards the end of the monsoon season had inundated several areas, prompting emergency response teams to step up their operations.

Anticipating the impact of the weather system, authorities had deployed 18 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams across six districts. Equipped with boats and other essential rescue equipment, the teams began evacuating residents from flooded and low-lying areas.

“Our personnel immediately began rescuing people from low-lying, flooded areas using boats. Our rescue and relief distribution teams are working in close coordination,” Mishra told ANI.

He said personnel from the fire services, ODRAF and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were actively engaged in rescue operations and assisting affected residents.

Mishra added that emergency teams would remain deployed until the situation stabilised and the threat had completely passed. He cautioned that normalcy would not return immediately and assured that rescue personnel would continue providing assistance on the ground.

Cyclone Arnab completed its landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coast between 2 am and 4 am on October 28. Although the system has since weakened considerably, its remnants continue to pose a risk of heavy rainfall and flooding across parts of eastern and central India.