# Cyclone Arnab weakens, heavy rain and hailstorm alerts for north India 2026-10-28T22:11:19+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 5 independent outlets The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall across several states on Thursday, 29 October, even as Cyclonic Storm Arnab weakens after crossing the Andhra Pradesh coast. Isolated heavy to very heavy rain is likely in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, east Madhya Pradesh, east Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Odisha, according to India Today and CNBC-TV18. Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh are under a thundersquall warning, with wind speeds of 50 to 60 kmph and gusts reaching 70 kmph on 29 to 30 October, CNBC-TV18 reports. India Today adds that isolated hailstorms are possible in Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh and Punjab, while thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds are expected across parts of north, east and central India. Cyclone Arnab crossed the coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam between 2 am and 8 am on Wednesday, 28 October, as a very severe cyclonic storm with winds of 125 to 135 kmph and gusts up to 150 kmph. The landfall process was complete by 8 am, and the system is expected to weaken further into a deep depression, the IMD said. The IMD has advised regulated offshore transport and warned of power and communication disruptions, power cuts, and damage to standing crops, citing the risk of large-scale damage due to the winds. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The new sources extend the forecast as the storm weakens. India Today and CNBC-TV18 both lead with the inland rain and hailstorm threat, while NDTV and Urban Acres focus on the Delhi-NCR disruption. Jagran Josh amplifies the IMD chief's warning on wind damage and sea conditions. All five outlets rely on the same IMD bulletin, so the coverage is uniform straight reporting. The differences are only in emphasis: the hailstorm alert is prominent in India Today and Urban Acres, while CNBC-TV18 gives the thundersquall wind speeds and the storm's landfall timeline. The balanced reading is that the event has shifted from a coastal cyclone to a broader inland weather system, with the next concrete item being the rain and hailstorm warnings for Thursday, 29 October. The new sources add the landfall location between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam and the weakening timeline, which the earlier brief lacked. ## Coverage Coverage: 5 sources, 5 neutral - ndtv.com (neutral report) Leads with forecast of widespread rain across north India after Arnab. - urbanacres.in (neutral report) Highlights Delhi-NCR hailstorm risk and lists affected districts. - jagranjosh.com (neutral report) Quotes IMD chief on wind speeds, sea conditions and damage warnings. - indiatoday.in (neutral report) Leads with weakening cyclone and rain threat, notes landfall timeline. - cnbctv18.com (neutral report) Leads with heavy rain alerts, gives thundersquall speeds and landfall details. This brief was synthesised by AI from the 5 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Update, 29 October 2026: this story now draws on 5 sources. Last updated 2026-10-29T00:18:07+00:00. Tags: Andhra Pradesh, Bay of Bengal, Cyclone Arnab, Delhi, India Meteorological Department, Odisha Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/cyclone-arnab-brings-rain-hailstorm-risk-to-delhi-ncr-on-thursday/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/cyclone-arnab-brings-rain-hailstorm-risk-to-delhi-ncr-on-thursday/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/