IndiaPosted at: Nov 7 2026 6:37PM


Bay of Bengal’s ‘rare’ double cyclone strike again underlines climate concerns

Vibha Sharma
New Delhi, Nov 7 (UNI) Something unusual and rare unfolded recently over the Bay of Bengal. Cyclone Arnab made landfall on October 28 and was followed just six days later by Cyclone Murasu on November 3. Two named cyclones striking the same stretch of the Andhra Pradesh coast in less than a week was seen as a rare occurrence that again underlined concerns that climate change was for real.
Notably, a tropical disturbance is officially named when it intensifies into a ‘Cyclonic’ storm, with certain sustained surface wind speeds. Apart from the fact that the two events intensified enough to be given a name, what also made these successive storms unusual was that both developed late in the cyclone season and struck the same coastal region.
Arnab, the first named cyclone of the season, intensified into a “Very Severe Cyclonic Storm”, making landfall along the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coast on October 28. Then came Murasu, a “Severe Cyclonic Storm,” tracking the same coastline on November 3, worsening flooding in already saturated areas.
Meanwhile, a fresh low-pressure area is expected to form around November 11, which may intensify into a depression over the southwest Bay of Bengal around November 15, according to the IMD
Two cyclones striking the same general stretch of coastline within a week is rare, though something similar happened in the Bay of Bengal in 2013 when Cyclones Helen and Lehar made successive landfalls.
Meteorologists say a combination of climate and atmospheric factors may have contributed to the unusual cyclone activity such as the ongoing intense El Niño phase, which influenced atmospheric conditions favourable for low-pressure systems, along with an active Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO).
The back-to-back cyclones also exposed the danger of compounding disasters.
Arnab dumped enormous amounts of rain, saturating the soil and filling rivers, lakes and drainage systems. When Murasu arrived just six days later, the ground had little capacity to absorb additional rainfall, a reason why even with comparatively lower wind speeds, it triggered flooding.
Powerful cyclones usually churn ocean waters, bringing colder water from deeper layers to the surface through a process called upwelling, which cools the sea surface and limits the energy available to subsequent storms.
However, when storms intensify close to shallow coastal waters, the cooling may become less effective. The unusually warm coastal waters therefore retained enough heat to support Murasu’s rapid intensification before landfall.
The overall number of cyclones may have reduced, but ocean warming is intensifying storms, increasing their destructive potential, making coastal communities more vulnerable.
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Bay of Bengal’s ‘rare’ double cyclone strike again underlines climate concerns

07 Nov 2026 | 6:37 PM

Vibha Sharma
New Delhi, Nov 7 (UNI) Something unusual and rare unfolded recently over the Bay of Bengal. Cyclone Arnab made landfall on October 28 and was followed just six days later by Cyclone Murasu on November 3. Two named cyclones striking the same stretch of the Andhra Pradesh coast in less than a week was seen as a rare occurrence that again underlined concerns that climate change was for real.

see more..