A weather system over the southeast Bay of Bengal is expected to strengthen into Cyclone Akvan by the evening of Monday, 16 November 2026, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The well marked low pressure area was very likely to become a depression within 24 hours of the IMD’s Saturday evening update, its sea area bulletin said. Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been told to expect heavy rain over the coming week.
As of 7:30 AM IST on Sunday, the IMD had not yet declared a depression, so Akvan has not formed. Its tropical weather outlook sees the system becoming a severe cyclonic storm over the sea by early 18 November, and Sambad English and Odisha TV, citing the IMD, reported winds of 85 to 95 kmph gusting to 105 kmph around that date.
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Where is the system now?
The low first formed at 5:30 AM on Friday, 13 November, under an upper air cyclonic circulation over the central Andaman Sea and the nearby Andaman and Nicobar Islands, The Hindu reported. By Saturday morning it had become a well marked low.
At 5:30 PM on Saturday it was still sitting over the southeast Bay of Bengal, with its circulation reaching 7.6 km above sea level, the IMD bulletin said. From there it is expected to move northwest, turn north northwest and become a cyclonic storm over the central parts of the south and adjoining westcentral Bay of Bengal around Monday evening.
The IMD’s latest satellite bulletin, based on images taken at 2:30 AM on Sunday, placed the centre near 8.5 degrees north and 86.5 degrees east at intensity T1.0, below the T1.5 at which a depression usually starts. Its track table expects a depression on Sunday, a deep depression early on Monday and a cyclonic storm by about 5:30 PM on Monday, with winds of 60 to 70 kmph gusting to 80 kmph.
Why is it called Cyclone Akvan?
The name comes from Iran. Storms in the north Indian Ocean are named from a list of 169 names, 13 each from 13 member countries, and a system gets its name once sustained winds reach around 62 kmph, CNBC TV18 explained. Akvan is a demon in the Persian epic Shahnameh by Ferdowsi who lifts the hero Rostam and throws him into the sea; Rostam escapes and later kills him.
If it forms, Akvan would be the year’s third cyclone, according to the Deccan Chronicle. For Odisha it would be the third cyclone threat in about three weeks, after Arnab and Murasu, Mint reported. Murasu crossed the Andhra coast earlier this month; read our report on Cyclone Murasu’s landfall near Ongole.
Will Cyclone Akvan hit Odisha or Andhra Pradesh?
Nobody can say yet. The IMD has said the track and any coastal impact will become clearer as the system develops. Some weather models point towards the north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coasts, NDTV Profit reported.
In Chennai, The Times of India said models still lean towards an Andhra landfall, while noting some runs show the track shifting slowly south. “Let’s wait for another two days to get more clarity,” weather blogger Pradeep John told the paper. Weather experts quoted by the Deccan Chronicle said that if the system curves northeast, it could head towards Bangladesh instead.
Which areas will get heavy rain?
The IMD warnings published so far, as reported by Mint with PTI inputs and by Sambad English, cover these areas:
- Andaman and Nicobar Islands: isolated heavy rain on 15 and 16 November, with squally winds of 40 to 50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph until 17 November.
- South Odisha coast: squally winds of 45 to 55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph from the morning of 17 November.
- Odisha: yellow warning for Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri and Khordha on 18 and 19 November; orange warning for Gajapati, Ganjam and Puri on 19 and 20 November; orange warning for Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Kandhamal, Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, Khordha and Nayagarh on 20 and 21 November.
- North coastal Andhra Pradesh: isolated heavy rain on 18 and 20 November and very heavy rain on 19 November, with thundersqualls gusting up to 70 kmph on 19 November.
- Gangetic West Bengal: isolated heavy rain and gusty winds on 19 and 20 November.
The Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar expects 7 to 11 cm of rain at isolated places on 18 November and 12 to 20 cm in some districts on 19 and 20 November across Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.
What should fishermen and coastal residents do?
Fishermen were told to return to the coast by 15 November and not to go into the Andaman Sea or the southeast, southwest and central Bay of Bengal until the system passes, Mint reported. People in the warned districts should follow district administration alerts and the IMD’s own bulletins rather than forwarded track maps, since the forecast can still shift.
How is Odisha preparing?
Odisha has put all district collectors on alert. “We do not know whether the impending cyclone will hit the Odisha coast. But we need to remain prepared, keeping in view the impact of Cyclone Arnab,” Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said, according to PTI. Arnab caused serious flooding in the state’s southern districts late last month.
Pujari said that even without a direct hit, the state could get 12 to 20 cm of rain in some districts along with squally winds.
What next?
The next key step is the depression stage, which the IMD expected on Sunday. Once the system becomes a cyclonic storm, the IMD issues regular track bulletins and will flag a likely landfall zone if one emerges. This comes after a late monsoon withdrawal that kept heavy rain warnings going in Tamil Nadu and Kerala in October. For more on how forecasters and the World Meteorological Organization work together, see our explainer on World Meteorological Day.
Featured image photo: Srichakra Pranav, CC BY SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. It shows storm clouds over Bheemili beach near Visakhapatnam in 2013 and is used only as an illustration. It does not show the current weather system.
FAQ
Has Cyclone Akvan formed yet?
No. As of 7:30 AM IST on 15 November 2026, it was still a well marked low over the southeast Bay of Bengal.
When will Cyclone Akvan form?
The IMD expects the system to become a cyclonic storm around the evening of 16 November 2026, after first becoming a depression.
Who named Cyclone Akvan?
Iran proposed the name Akvan under the regional naming list for the north Indian Ocean.
Sources
- IMD sea area bulletin, valid to 2:30 PM IST on 15 November 2026: position at 5:30 PM on 14 November, depression and cyclone forecast, no storm warning yet.
- IMD RSMC tropical weather outlook, 14 November 2026: forecast track and intensity table up to 18 November.
- IMD satellite bulletin, 2:30 AM IST on 15 November 2026: latest centre position and T1.0 intensity.
- Sambad English, 14 November 2026: severe cyclonic storm forecast for 18 November and Odisha district warnings.
- Odisha TV, 14 November 2026: IMD track and intensity forecast.
- The Hindu, 13 November 2026: formation of the low pressure area.
- CNBC TV18, 14 November 2026: origin of the name Akvan and naming rules.
- Deccan Chronicle, 14 November 2026: third cyclone of the year and Bangladesh scenario.
- NDTV Profit, 13 November 2026: model guidance towards north Andhra and south Odisha.
- The Times of India, 15 November 2026: Chennai outlook and Pradeep John quote.
- Mint (with PTI), 15 November 2026: rain warnings, fishermen advisory and Suresh Pujari quote.