No, There Is No Cyclone Arnab. Here's What Actually Happened.

The Bay of Bengal deep depression IndiaRealTime has been tracking all week made landfall near Kalingapatnam, between Visakhapatnam and Gopalpur, around midnight on September 23, and IMD says flatly that no storm named Cyclone Arnab exists. What’s actually happening is less tidy than a single named storm: the system’s rain bands and rough-sea warnings now stretch from coastal Karnataka in the south to Digha in West Bengal in the north, hundreds of kilometres apart, which is very likely why searches for tomorrow’s weather spiked nationwide today rather than staying confined to Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.

Where the System Actually Is

Time (IST)	Position
2330 hrs, September 23	Centred over north Andhra Pradesh coast, near 18.2°N, landfall underway near Kalingapatnam
0830 hrs, September 24	Moved northwestward, centred over north coastal Andhra Pradesh and adjoining south Odisha, about 170 km east-southeast of Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh

That track, straight inland toward Chhattisgarh, is the same pattern IndiaRealTime flagged on Tuesday as still unsettled. IMD expects the system to weaken further into a plain depression by the evening of September 24 and hold that strength until the evening of September 25, moving generally west-northwest and losing organisation as it moves over land.

The “Cyclone Arnab” Name, Addressed Directly

IMD’s own position, stated plainly: no storm named Cyclone Arnab exists in the Bay of Bengal. Arnab is a real name, queued on the WMO/ESCAP regional master list (contributed by Bangladesh, meaning “ocean” in Bengali) for whenever a future system actually reaches cyclonic-storm strength, sustained winds of 34 knots or roughly 63 km/h or more. This system peaked as a deep depression, in the 52 to 61 km/h range, and never crossed that line. IndiaRealTime made the same point on Monday before landfall; IMD’s more recent, more direct denial simply closes the loop on a name that had already spread well past what the agency itself was using.

Why West Bengal Is on Alert Now

The sea off Digha and Mandarmani in East Midnapore turned rough from Wednesday, with gusty winds of 40 to 50 km/h moving through the coastal belt. IMD has warned of heavy to very heavy rain, 7 to 20 cm, at one or two places over East Midnapore, West Midnapore and Jhargram through September 25. Authorities have banned fishermen from going into the deep sea and moved boats to safe locations, and issued a high alert for tourist spots including Digha, Tajpur and Mandarmani. None of this means the system re-formed near Bengal; it’s the same depression’s outer bands and the moisture it’s pulling northward as it sits over land to the west.

And Why Karnataka Too

On the opposite end of the system’s reach, coastal and south interior Karnataka saw heavy rain on September 23 and 24, with IMD forecasting the intensity to ease by September 25 to isolated thundershowers and gusty winds of 30 to 40 km/h along the coast. Karnataka’s rain isn’t from a separate weather system; it’s the same Bay of Bengal depression’s broader circulation reaching a coastline nowhere near its landfall point, which is a useful reminder that a depression’s impact area is rarely limited to wherever it actually crosses the coast.

Bangladesh’s own meteorological department separately flagged gusty winds continuing over its coastal areas and the northern Bay, from the same system’s remnants, underlining how far a single deep depression’s effects can spread well after its core has weakened.

For live conditions as the system continues to weaken, IndiaRealTime’s weather alerts page and weather hub track forecasts across every affected state, and IndiaRealTime’s guide to how IMD forecasts and alerts actually work explains the category system behind terms like deep depression and extremely heavy rain used throughout this coverage.

FAQs

Is Cyclone Arnab real?
The name Arnab is real and queued for a future storm, but IMD says no storm by that name currently exists. This week’s system peaked as a deep depression, below the wind-speed threshold for a named cyclone.

Where did the depression make landfall?
Near Kalingapatnam, between Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, and Gopalpur, Odisha, around midnight on September 23.

Why is Digha, West Bengal, affected by a system that made landfall in Andhra Pradesh?
The same depression’s outer rain bands and moisture reach well beyond its landfall point. Digha and East Midnapore are seeing rough seas and heavy rain from that broader circulation, not a separate storm.

Is Karnataka’s rain connected to the same system?
Yes. Coastal and south interior Karnataka’s heavy rain on September 23 and 24 comes from the same Bay of Bengal depression’s wider circulation, easing to isolated showers by September 25.

What happens to the system next?
IMD expects it to weaken into a plain depression by the evening of September 24 and hold that strength until the evening of September 25, moving west-northwest and losing organisation as it tracks inland toward Chhattisgarh.

Sources

• India Meteorological Department: official position updates on the deep depression, September 23-24
• LatestLY: ‘Cyclone Arnab’ myth busted, know why the Bay of Bengal weather system is actually a deep depression
• Asianet Newsable: High alert in Digha as low-pressure system intensifies in Bay of Bengal
• Deccan Herald: Karnataka rains, Bay of Bengal depression brings showers to several districts
• Down To Earth: Possible Cyclone Arnab in Bay of Bengal, IMD tracks first 2026 North Indian Ocean storm

Updated September 24, 2026.