Sidr--A Potentially Dangerous Cyclone

--Tropical Cyclone Sidr took shape Sunday over the eastern Bay of Bengal south of Andaman. Sidr has strengthened steadily since then and it has made its way northwestward. The JTWC (site has satellite imagery and forecast path) have Sidr gaining winds of hurricane speed as of late Monday, local time. They also show a northward veer.

A quick look at late numerical forecasts turned up a divided consensus. Paths aimed for landfalls anywhere between the Myanmar-Bangladesh line and the northwest shore of the Bay (Orissa or northeastern Andhra, India). I do not know anything beyond what I have seen from these numerical forecasts and the JTWC, so it is `wait and see` for me.

--Meanwhile, there is another tropical cyclone as of Monday. It is Tropical Storm Tapah. Tapah is over the western North Pacific Ocean north of the Mariana Islands. It is weak and headed for open seas (northeastward), so it does not seem to be worthy of more than a passing mention here.