Thousands of people were evacuated along India's eastern coast, and some train services were cancelled, authorities said on Tuesday, one day before a severe cyclone was scheduled to make landfall, bringing gusting winds and heavy rain.
In neighbouring Nepal, authorities cautioned tourists against venturing into high-altitude areas, fearing that Cyclone Arnab could trigger torrential downpours, snowstorms, and avalanches in the Himalayas from Thursday night through Saturday.
The risks come at a time when the mountainous country is starting to recover from a deadly flash flood in August, which killed about 1,500 people.
Arnab, which formed over the Bay of Bengal, has intensified since Monday, India's weather office said on Tuesday.
It is expected to make landfall in the southern coastal state of Andhra Pradesh by Wednesday morning, bringing strong winds and intense showers to parts of the state as well as neighbouring Odisha state.
Nearly 50,000 people had been moved to shelters from vulnerable areas by Monday night, out of 400,000 estimated to need evacuation, Prakhar Jain, Managing Director of Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, told Reuters.
"Evacuation is continuing," Jain added.
There have been no evacuations in Odisha so far, Rajesh Prabhakar Patil, Special Relief Commissioner of Odisha, told Reuters. The state had already announced the closure of schools and colleges in five districts for Tuesday and Wednesday.
Heavy rains, accompanied by strong winds, lashed parts of Odisha on Tuesday. The IMD has issued an orange warning, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall of 12-20 cm, for six districts -- Puri, Gajapati, Ganjam, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri.
The districts under the yellow warning, indicating rainfall of 7-11 cm, are Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Khurda, Nayagarh, Jagatsinghpur, Nuapada, Balangir and Boudh.
Television showed waves crashing on deserted beaches and shuttered shops lining the streets in affected areas.
At least 12 trains were cancelled in the east, while rail services on 53 routes along the southern coast were suspended for Tuesday and Wednesday, regional railway authorities said in social media posts.
The Bay of Bengal is one of the world's major regions for tropical cyclones, which makes India's eastern coast particularly vulnerable to sea-linked weather disasters.
The cyclone is set to bring heavy rainfall in parts of Jharkhand for three days, prompting the state government to ask district administrations to maintain vigil. The weather department has also issued warnings for thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds.
A 'yellow' alert (be updated) of heavy rain has been issued for Ranchi, Khunti, Simdega, Gumla, Lohardaga, Saraikela-Kharsawan, East and West Singhbhum for 24 hours starting from 8.30 am on October 28, the India Meteorological Department said.
The rain intensity is likely to increase thereafter, with IMD issuing an 'orange' alert (be prepared) for seven Jharkhand districts - Garhwa, Palamu, Latehar, Lohardaga, Gumla, Simdega and West Singhbhum - for 24 hours till 8.30 am on October 30, according to a weather bulletin.
The administration warned that heavy rainfall could cause waterlogging in low-lying areas and roads in Ranchi, damage kutcha houses and weak structures, and cause rivers, lakes and drains to overflow, triggering flood-like conditions.
Standing crops could also be damaged due to water accumulation in fields, it added.
The storm is likely to move west-northwestward until the evening of October 27, then turn northwestward and cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, near Yanam, by the forenoon of October 28.