Dangerous Cyclone Amphan churns in Bay of Bengal
By
Adam Douty, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published May 15, 2020 11:52 AM EST
The tropical low that had been slow to develop in the Bay of Bengal, has been quick to strengthen since developing into a cyclonic storm on Saturday.
The storm churned at a glacial pace near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands last week. Here it brought some locations, including Banda Aceh, a total of 11.89 inches of rain (302 mm) in just a few days.
Satellite shows low pressure becoming better organized across the Bay of Bengal on Friday afternoon, local time. (Photo: CIRA/RAMMB)
Late in the day on Thursday, local time, the India Meteorological Department designated this storm as a well-marked low, signaling that this feature continues to organize.
On Saturday, the system quickly strengthened from a depression to a deep depression to a cyclonic storm. The storm was given the name Amphan.
The system continued to rapidly strengthen on Sunday, going from a severe cyclonic storm to a very severe cyclonic storm by the overnight hours.
The system continued to strengthen on Monday and is now an extremely severe cyclonic storm.
Traveling through a region with warm waters and low wind shear, the system is likely to continue strengthening into the beginning of the week.
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jason Nicholls thinks the storm can reach the intensity of a Super Cyclonic Storm (equivalent to a Category 4 or 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale).
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The most likely track appears to be to the north which will put northeastern India and Bangladesh at the greatest risk of life-threatening impacts.
Due to some uncertainties, locations from east-central India to Myanmar should all monitor the situation. Residents from West Bengal into Bangladesh should begin making preparations for the storm, especially given the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Residents should prepare for damaging wind gusts and flooding rainfall. Due to the low elevation of southern Bangladesh, widespread coastal flooding is expected to be a significant threat.
As the storm gathers strength, seas will become dangerously rough across the central and northern Bay of Bengal.
Preparedness plans may take longer than usual to put into place, and should a storm approach during a continued lockdown, shelters may cause residents to huddle in larger groups than what is normally allowed.
In the beginning of May, India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, extended the world's largest lockdown until May 18. The country recently experienced its largest single-day spike in COVID-19 related deaths. However, the nation's recovery rate is improving.
It is not uncommon for tropical systems to develop in the Bay of Bengal or Andaman Sea during the beginning of May. Tropical activity usually increases before the arrival of India's southwest monsoon.
"The northern Indian Ocean tropical season officially is boundless, meaning tropical cyclones can form any time of year. However, the northern Indian Ocean tropical season has two peaks. The first peak is from April to June, or pre-monsoon, and the second peak spans from September into December, or post-monsoon," Nicholls said.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Hurricane
Dangerous Cyclone Amphan churns in Bay of Bengal
By Adam Douty, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published May 15, 2020 11:52 AM EST
The tropical low that had been slow to develop in the Bay of Bengal, has been quick to strengthen since developing into a cyclonic storm on Saturday.
The storm churned at a glacial pace near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands last week. Here it brought some locations, including Banda Aceh, a total of 11.89 inches of rain (302 mm) in just a few days.
Satellite shows low pressure becoming better organized across the Bay of Bengal on Friday afternoon, local time. (Photo: CIRA/RAMMB)
Late in the day on Thursday, local time, the India Meteorological Department designated this storm as a well-marked low, signaling that this feature continues to organize.
On Saturday, the system quickly strengthened from a depression to a deep depression to a cyclonic storm. The storm was given the name Amphan.
The system continued to rapidly strengthen on Sunday, going from a severe cyclonic storm to a very severe cyclonic storm by the overnight hours.
The system continued to strengthen on Monday and is now an extremely severe cyclonic storm.
Traveling through a region with warm waters and low wind shear, the system is likely to continue strengthening into the beginning of the week.
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jason Nicholls thinks the storm can reach the intensity of a Super Cyclonic Storm (equivalent to a Category 4 or 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale).
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
The most likely track appears to be to the north which will put northeastern India and Bangladesh at the greatest risk of life-threatening impacts.
Due to some uncertainties, locations from east-central India to Myanmar should all monitor the situation. Residents from West Bengal into Bangladesh should begin making preparations for the storm, especially given the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Residents should prepare for damaging wind gusts and flooding rainfall. Due to the low elevation of southern Bangladesh, widespread coastal flooding is expected to be a significant threat.
As the storm gathers strength, seas will become dangerously rough across the central and northern Bay of Bengal.
Preparedness plans may take longer than usual to put into place, and should a storm approach during a continued lockdown, shelters may cause residents to huddle in larger groups than what is normally allowed.
In the beginning of May, India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, extended the world's largest lockdown until May 18. The country recently experienced its largest single-day spike in COVID-19 related deaths. However, the nation's recovery rate is improving.
Related:
It is not uncommon for tropical systems to develop in the Bay of Bengal or Andaman Sea during the beginning of May. Tropical activity usually increases before the arrival of India's southwest monsoon.
"The northern Indian Ocean tropical season officially is boundless, meaning tropical cyclones can form any time of year. However, the northern Indian Ocean tropical season has two peaks. The first peak is from April to June, or pre-monsoon, and the second peak spans from September into December, or post-monsoon," Nicholls said.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo