A red-level warning has been issued for strong winds and rough seas in the Bay of Bengal and deep and shallow sea areas around Sri Lanka, with fishing and naval communities warned against venturing into affected waters.

The warning issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre at 9:00 p.m. will remain valid for the next 24 hours.

According to the advisory, the very severe cyclonic storm “Arnab”, located over the west-central Bay of Bengal, was centred near latitude 16.2°N and longitude 83.3°E at 2.30 p.m., approximately 800 kilometres northeast of Kankesanthurai.

The storm is expected to move west-northwestwards over the next few hours before turning northwestwards and crossing the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh as a very severe cyclonic storm.

It is forecast to cross the coast between 2.00 a.m. and 4.00 a.m. tomorrow, with maximum sustained winds of 125–135 kmph and gusts reaching 150 kmph.

According to the warning, wind speeds in the affected sea areas could increase to between 80 and 150 kmph at times, accompanied by heavy thundershowers.

Wave heights could rise to between 6 and 9 metres, creating very rough sea conditions and posing a serious risk to vessels operating in the affected areas.

The Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre has also advised fishing and naval communities not to venture into the sea area bounded by latitudes 10°N and 20°N and longitudes 80°E and 90°E until further notice.

Those already operating in these waters have been advised to move away from the affected areas.