30 October 2026 | 6:43 AM | Lucknow
When Nature Changes the Mood of a City
The morning of 30 October brought a rather unusual and dramatic spectacle to Lucknow. As I stepped out at around 6:43 AM, the sky presented a picture quite different from the usual October morning.
The familiar golden rays of the rising sun were missing. Instead, an enormous blanket of grey clouds stretched across the horizon, concealing the sunlight and giving the entire landscape a distinctly different appearance.
The tall palm trees stood gracefully against the cloudy sky. Their dark green crowns, set against the vast grey background, created an almost dramatic natural painting. The surrounding vegetation, gardens and open spaces appeared fresh, yet there was an unmistakable feeling of an impending change in weather.
The atmosphere was cooler, the sky heavily overcast, and the possibility of rain seemed very real. But what has brought about this sudden change?
The answer takes us hundreds of kilometres away, towards the Bay of Bengal.
Cyclone Arnab: A Journey from the Bay of Bengal to Mainland India
Cyclone Arnab developed over the Bay of Bengal and gradually intensified as it moved towards the eastern coast of India. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) tracked its development and issued successive weather bulletins as the system gained strength.
Before reaching the coast, Arnab intensified into a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm, becoming a major weather system with the potential to cause widespread damage.
On the morning of 28 October 2026, the cyclone made landfall along the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coast, near Narsapur, southwest of Yanam and close to Kakinada.
The landfall process continued for several hours, approximately between 2:00 AM and 8:00 AM.
At the time of landfall, Arnab packed maximum sustained winds of approximately 125–135 km per hour, with gusts reaching 150 km per hour.
These were extremely powerful winds capable of damaging houses, uprooting trees, disrupting electricity and communication networks and affecting transport and agricultural activities.
What Happened After Landfall?
Unlike a cyclone over the open sea, which can maintain or even increase its strength by drawing energy and moisture from warm ocean waters, a cyclone moving inland gradually loses its principal source of energy.
This is what happened to Arnab.
After crossing the Andhra Pradesh coast, the system continued moving inland in a northward to north-northwestward direction.
Its intensity gradually decreased:
● 28 October: It weakened from a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm to a Severe Cyclonic Storm after landfall.
● 28 October evening: It further weakened into a Cyclonic Storm.
● Night of 28 October: It weakened into a Deep Depression.
● 29 October morning: It became a Depression over South Chhattisgarh and adjoining South Odisha.
● 29 October: Further weakening into a well-marked low-pressure area was expected.
Thus, what began as a powerful cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal gradually transformed into a much weaker weather system over central India.
However, weakening does not mean that all its effects disappear immediately. Even a weakened depression can carry substantial moisture, produce widespread cloud cover and trigger rainfall, thunderstorms and gusty winds over areas far away from its original landfall location.
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