A New Bay of Bengal System Is Forming: Could This Finally Be Cyclone Arnab?
Unconfirmed name notice: as of this update, IMD has classified this system only as a Depression. It has not been named. “Arnab” remains the next name on the WMO/ESCAP North Indian Ocean naming list and would only apply if the system is upgraded to cyclonic storm intensity, which IMD's current forecast track says is very likely to happen within the next day. Treat every mention of “Cyclone Arnab” on this page as a forecast possibility, not a confirmed storm name, until IMD says otherwise.
A New System, Not the One From September
Readers may remember an unnamed system that crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast as a Deep Depression in late September 2026 without ever being named, and dissipated by 25 September. This is a separate, new system: IMD designation BOB/08/2026, classified as a Depression over the eastcentral and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal on the morning of 25 October 2026, centred near 15.3°N, 91.2°E — about 440 km north-northwest of Sri Vijaya Puram (Andaman Islands) and 880 km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam.
Why This One Looks More Likely to Be Named
Unlike the September system, which IMD never forecast to reach cyclonic storm strength, IMD's current forecast track for BOB/08/2026 is explicit: Deep Depression later on 25 October, Cyclonic Storm by the morning of 26 October, Severe Cyclonic Storm by the morning of 27 October, and a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm with maximum sustained winds of 115-125 km/h gusting to 140 km/h as it crosses the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam around the forenoon of 28 October. If that forecast holds and the system is officially upgraded to cyclonic storm intensity (sustained winds of about 63 km/h or more), it would receive the next name on the list: Arnab, proposed by Bangladesh, meaning “ocean” or “sea” (from the Sanskrit arnava).
IMD has issued an Orange Message cyclone alert for Andhra Pradesh and adjoining south Odisha, with heavy to extremely heavy rain forecast for both states on 27-28 October, and impacts reaching Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar and Gangetic West Bengal as the system moves inland. Sea conditions along the Andhra Pradesh coast are forecast to reach Phenomenal by the morning of landfall.
Track and Timeline at a Glance
- 25 October (morning): Depression, eastcentral/southeast Bay of Bengal, near 15.3°N 91.2°E
- 25 October (evening): Forecast to strengthen into a Deep Depression
- 26 October (morning): Forecast Cyclonic Storm, eastcentral/westcentral Bay of Bengal
- 27 October (morning): Forecast Severe Cyclonic Storm, westcentral Bay of Bengal
- 28 October (forenoon): Forecast landfall as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm, Andhra Pradesh coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam
Follow the live position, forecast track and district-level warning map on our Active Systems page, which updates as new IMD bulletins are issued.
How This Compares to Past Storms
A Very Severe Cyclonic Storm landfall on the Andhra Pradesh coast in late October would place this system alongside other strong late-season storms in our cyclone archive, such as Titli (2018). For background on how IMD's naming and classification system works, see our explainers on how IMD classifies cyclones and how IMD cyclone warnings work.
Where to Get Verified Updates
- Live position, forecast track and district-level colour-coded warnings: Active Systems
- This system's full record, updated as new bulletins arrive: BOB/08/2026, October 2026
- Latest bulletin: Bay of Bengal Update, 25 October
- Official source: RSMC Tropical Cyclones New Delhi / India Meteorological Department (IMD)
We will update this page and the Active Systems page as IMD issues new bulletins. If the system is upgraded and officially named Arnab, that confirmation — and only that confirmation — will be reflected here as fact.