Odisha prepares for possible Cyclone Arnab: schools closed in five districts on 28 and 29 October
Odisha activated disaster preparations on 24 October 2026 as a Bay of Bengal system was forecast to become a cyclonic storm by the morning of 26 October. Schools, colleges and Anganwadi centres in five districts were ordered closed for 28 and 29 October, pending further official forecasts.
Odisha prepared for a possible cyclone, referred to as Arnab, with schools, colleges and Anganwadi centres in five districts ordered closed on 28 and 29 October 2026, while the forecast landfall was expected around the morning of 28 October between the northern Andhra Pradesh and southern Odisha coasts.
What the forecast said on 24 and 25 October
According to the India Meteorological Department forecast reported by both opened sources, a well-marked low-pressure area over the east-central Bay of Bengal and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal was likely to become a depression on 24 October, a deep depression on 25 October and a cyclonic storm by the morning of 26 October.
The system was then expected to move west-northwestwards and reach the west-central Bay of Bengal near the Andhra Pradesh coast around the morning of 28 October. The India Meteorological Department Director General was reported as saying landfall was likely on the morning of 28 October somewhere between the northern Andhra Pradesh and southern Odisha coasts.
Because a cyclone track can change as a system develops, this article reports the forecast as it stood in the 24 October reporting, not as a confirmed landfall location. Readers in coastal districts should check later official bulletins before making travel or school decisions.
Which districts were named, and what was closed
The five districts identified as facing a greater impact were Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri. The state government directed that schools, colleges and Anganwadi centres in those five districts remain closed on 28 and 29 October, with district collectors able to extend closures if the situation warranted it.
For other districts, collectors were to decide on closures based on the developing situation, rather than a single statewide order applying to every district. That distinction matters for parents and students outside the five named districts, who should check their own district collector's announcement.
The forecast rain and wind figures also need to be read with their dates attached. The Chief Minister was reported as saying the cyclone could bring heavy rainfall and gusty winds of 70 to 90 kilometres per hour to southern and coastal Odisha, while a separate red warning for 28 October, reported by News89, forecast very heavy rain with isolated extremely heavy rainfall of more than 20 centimetres, thunderstorms, lightning and gusty surface winds of 60 to 70 kilometres per hour for Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Gajapati and Ganjam.
Teams, shelters and essential services put on alert
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi reviewed the state's preparedness on 24 October and directed officials to prioritise public safety, evacuation and emergency response, with the stated objective of ensuring zero casualties. Officials were told to shift people from vulnerable areas to safer locations where necessary, with special attention to patients, senior citizens and pregnant women.
Approximately 60 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force teams and 17 National Disaster Response Force teams were reported as deployed, while 225 fire service teams were on high alert. In Ganjam district, the collector was reported as saying 100 cyclone centres were ready and 1,000 temporary shelters had been identified for possible evacuation.
Fishermen were advised not to venture into the sea, and those already at sea were instructed to return to shore. Authorities were also directed to ensure adequate stocks of anti-snake venom at health facilities, in view of possible snakebite cases during flooding and waterlogging, and to restore electricity and road connectivity quickly if lines were disrupted or roads were blocked.
What to watch next
The next steps depend on updated forecasts rather than on the 24 October plan alone. If the system weakens, changes track or intensifies differently, the districts affected, the rainfall totals and any extension of school closures could change, and district collectors would be the source for local decisions.
For practical purposes, the most useful checks are the latest India Meteorological Department bulletin for the Bay of Bengal system, the Odisha government or district collector announcement for the reader's own district, and any school or college notice for 28 and 29 October. This article does not replace those official updates.
Editorial disclosure
This article was researched and published with AI assistance. No human prepublication review is claimed. Report factual errors through our contact page.
Frequently asked questions
Which Odisha districts had schools closed on 28 and 29 October?
Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri, for schools, colleges and Anganwadi centres, with collectors in other districts to decide locally.
When was the cyclone expected to make landfall?
Around the morning of 28 October 2026, between the northern Andhra Pradesh and southern Odisha coasts, according to the forecast reported on 24 October. The track remained subject to later official updates.