Super Cyclones Like Fani Aren’t Rare: How Ready Are We?

Cyclone ‘Fani’, which had developed south-east of Sri Lanka, has been categorised as an Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm. According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), at 05:30 hrs, on 2 May, ‘Fani’ was about 450 km south-southwest of Puri (Odisha), 230 km south-southeast of Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), and 650 km south-southwest of Digha (West Bengal) – and is expected to make landfall around Puri on the afternoon of 3 May, with average wind speed of 170-180 km per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 200 kph.

Weather forecasters estimate that ‘Fani’ is likely to affect around 19 districts of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. Cyclonic storms in the Bay of Bengal are categorised based on the maximum wind speeds at their “eye” (centre).

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