Indian authorities Tuesday evacuated tens of thousands of people from vulnerable coastal areas in eastern Andhra Pradesh state as a severe cyclone over the Bay of Bengal was expected to make landfall along the country's east coast, authorities said.

The India Meteorological Department said Cyclone Arnab strengthened into a "very severe" cyclonic storm and was expected to make landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coast by early Wednesday morning with gusting winds and heavy rain.

According to officials at the state's disaster management authority, Cyclone Arnab's outer bands began lashing parts of the Andhra Pradesh coast late Tuesday as the storm intensified over the Bay of Bengal and moved toward an earlier-than-expected landfall.