← 2026-10-29 edition · Sourced reporting
Arnab reached India’s coast after this satellite image—check the dates
As of 2026-10-29 · Publication details
Image time October 26 UTC and landfall early October 28, 2026 · km/h sustained wind, attributed to IMD by NASA
Two rounded historical storm estimates, not a forecast, local gusts, flood risk or a continuous series. Underlying IMD bulletin and averaging interval not independently inspected.
Read the values and scale as a table
| Measure | Value (km/h sustained wind, attributed to IMD by NASA) | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 26, 20:12 UTC / Oct 27, 01:42 IST | 140 | [3] [2] |
| Oct 28, early landfall (India local date) | 130 | [3] [1] |
NASA Earth Observatory October 29 account of Cyclone Arnab’s October 28 landfall on the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coast, India, using an October 26 UTC image and attributed IMD winds. No direct IMD bulletin, damage audit or current hazard map captured.
NASA’s new account places Arnab’s landfall on India’s Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coast early October 28. The nighttime satellite image is older: October 26 UTC, or early October 27 in India. Use dated local warnings for current decisions; the image is not a live hazard map. [1] [2]
Still open: NASA is the inspected original account; its IMD input bulletin and wind averaging interval were not independently captured. All open questions ↓
Open India Meteorological Department’s current weather warnings; verify your location and issue time →Read the full story
The reporting question: What does NASA’s new Arnab account show, and why is its image not a current warning?
The event and the image use different clocks
NASA published its account for October 29. It describes October 28 landfall, but the NOAA-20 image was acquired at 20:12 UTC on October 26—1:42 a.m. on October 27 in India. Keeping those timestamps together prevents an older satellite view from appearing to show today’s storm location. [1] [2]
What the wind comparison can tell you
NASA attributes about 140 km/h sustained winds at image time and 130 km/h at landfall to IMD. These are two dated estimates, not local gust readings or a smooth track between observations. We have not captured the underlying bulletin or its averaging method; the difference cannot establish flood risk or the safety of a specific place. [3] [2]
Use the right record for the decision
VIIRS provides a nighttime remote-sensing view that NASA processed for this account. For a current decision involving India, start with the India Meteorological Department’s current warnings and the responsible local authority. No death toll, damage total, local all-clear or forecast is adopted from the secondary news links in NASA’s article. [4] [1]
Archive photograph · 2019-06-01 · Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India
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- 1 source record
- NASA Earth Observatory
How we know4 scoped claims · 1 source recordView evidence
Each claim keeps its full assertion, date, source passage and limits. Source counts describe records, not independent corroboration.
1.Landfall is a later eventAttributed
NASA’s October 29 account says Arnab made landfall on the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coast early October 28.
- Scope
- NASA Earth Observatory October 29 account of Cyclone Arnab’s October 28 landfall on the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coast, India, using an October 26 UTC image and attributed IMD winds. No direct IMD bulletin, damage audit or current hazard map captured.
- Evidence passage
- Main article, paragraph beginning When Arnab made landfall.
- As of
- 2026-10-29
- Limit
- NASA account; no present storm position, warning or damage tally inferred.
Retrieved 2026-10-29T08:46:58.942Z · NASA Earth Observatory
NASA’s own image interpretation and attributed IMD values. No direct IMD bulletin, casualty record or independent damage assessment was captured.
2.The image has its own timestampAttributed
NASA says NOAA-20 VIIRS captured the nighttime image at 20:12 UTC on October 26, corresponding to 1:42 a.m. India Standard Time on October 27.
- Scope
- NASA Earth Observatory October 29 account of Cyclone Arnab’s October 28 landfall on the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coast, India, using an October 26 UTC image and attributed IMD winds. No direct IMD bulletin, damage audit or current hazard map captured.
- Evidence passage
- Main article, VIIRS image paragraph.
- As of
- 2026-10-29
- Limit
- One instrument’s historical view, not a live track or a forecast.
Retrieved 2026-10-29T08:46:58.942Z · NASA Earth Observatory
NASA’s own image interpretation and attributed IMD values. No direct IMD bulletin, casualty record or independent damage assessment was captured.
3.Two dated wind estimatesAttributed
NASA attributes sustained winds of about 140 km/h at image time and 130 km/h at landfall to the India Meteorological Department.
- Scope
- NASA Earth Observatory October 29 account of Cyclone Arnab’s October 28 landfall on the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coast, India, using an October 26 UTC image and attributed IMD winds. No direct IMD bulletin, damage audit or current hazard map captured.
- Evidence passage
- VIIRS paragraph and following landfall paragraph.
- As of
- 2026-10-29
- Limit
- Rounded, attributed estimates at different times; direct bulletin and averaging method not inspected. Not local gusts, flood depth or a forecast.
Retrieved 2026-10-29T08:46:58.942Z · NASA Earth Observatory
NASA’s own image interpretation and attributed IMD values. No direct IMD bulletin, casualty record or independent damage assessment was captured.
4.What the instrument contributesAttributed
NASA identifies the image as VIIRS day-night-band data from NOAA-20, processed for its Earth Observatory account.
- Scope
- NASA Earth Observatory October 29 account of Cyclone Arnab’s October 28 landfall on the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coast, India, using an October 26 UTC image and attributed IMD winds. No direct IMD bulletin, damage audit or current hazard map captured.
- Evidence passage
- Instruments listing and image-credit paragraph.
- As of
- 2026-10-29
- Limit
- A processed remote-sensing image; it does not itself measure household damage or confirm a route is safe.
Retrieved 2026-10-29T08:46:58.942Z · NASA Earth Observatory
NASA’s own image interpretation and attributed IMD values. No direct IMD bulletin, casualty record or independent damage assessment was captured.
What remains open.
- NASA is the inspected original account; its IMD input bulletin and wind averaging interval were not independently captured.
- No casualty figure, damage estimate or evacuation number is adopted from linked secondary reporting.
- IMD’s official help homepage was read for navigation; no current warning value or all-clear is claimed.
- No attribution of this individual cyclone to El Niño or climate change is inferred from general associations.
Reopen this account if the named original record is corrected or if NASA corrects its account or a newer official local record changes the event context.
THIS STORY IN TIME
Keep the dates with the story.
- Reported development
- Evidence as of
- First retained publication
- This version published
Publication times are Central. A development date and an evidence date can differ. Missing dates remain unrecorded.