HYDERABAD: Severe Cyclone Arnab lashed the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha with high winds and heavy rain, uprooting hundreds of trees and electricity poles. The storm coincided with a series of earthquakes recorded in the region and beyond, adding to public anxiety.
Winds reaching 140 kilometres per hour brought transport to a near standstill. The Railways cancelled more than 50 trains, and air services were suspended.
According to the National Center for Seismology, five tremors were recorded between October 27 and 28. A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck the Bay of Bengal at a depth of just 10 kilometres. Tremors of magnitude 2.7 were recorded in Goalpara, Assam, and 3.5 in Myanmar. A magnitude 6.0 earthquake was reported in the Coral Sea region, and a magnitude 3.1 tremor in the West Khasi Hills of Meghalaya.
The tremors, which occurred just before the cyclone made landfall, have led many residents to ask whether the two events are connected.
A cyclone is a weather system driven by differences in atmospheric pressure, while an earthquake results from the movement of tectonic plates deep within the earth. Some geoscientists, however, point to a phenomenon known as a “stormquake.” As a powerful cyclone intensifies over the sea, atmospheric pressure drops sharply, causing sea levels to rise and generating large waves. Researchers explain that the sustained force of enormous volumes of water pressing on the seabed can produce minor tremors in the crust below.
Experts caution that research evidence remains limited and that cyclones cannot be said to cause major earthquakes. Even so, some described the simultaneous occurrence of the cyclone and the tremors as a notable warning that should not be dismissed as routine.
Officials have urged coastal residents to be prepared for any emergency, not just rain and wind, and have directed disaster management teams to maintain heightened vigilance and round-the-clock monitoring.