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(Image source: The Weather Channel / Weather Underground)
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BY COLLIN RUANE
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A massive tropical cyclone half the size of India is zeroing in on the country home to
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more than one billion people.
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As of Friday, meteorologists say winds from Cyclone Phailin are clocking in at about 170
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miles per hour. Those wind speeds would easily make it comparable to a category five hurricane.
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(Via The Weather Channel)
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Not only is the storm strong — it's been developing quickly. The Washington Post reports
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the storm's winds shot up more than 80 miles per hour in an 18-hour period between Wednesday
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and Thursday. That type of extreme intensity is very rare.
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Meteorologists say Phailin's large size and intensity are similar to the strength of Hurricane
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Katrina back in 2005 and could have similar devastating effects in northeast India. (Via
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WEWS)
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One of the reasons Phailin is so intense is the Bay of Bengal's high water temperature.
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It's possible the storm could strengthen more because of it. (Via Al Jazeera)
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NDTV points out India also has some of the strongest tropical systems in the world.
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Back in 1999, a similar storm struck India, killing more than 15,000 people. Indian government
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officials say the country is more prepared this time around.
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One of the states in India expected to be hit the hardest is home to more than 40 million
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people overall, and 700 people per square mile.
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USA Today notes the Bay of Bengal is the same place where almost three-fourths of the world's
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35 deadliest tropical systems have formed. Forty years ago, a strong cyclone hit Bangladesh
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killing more than 300,000 people.
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The death toll in India shouldn't be that high as residents expected to be hardest hit
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have been evacuated from the coastline. Cyclone Phailin is expected to make landfall in India
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sometime Saturday.
