10 Facts On Super Cyclone Amphan That Will Likely Hit Bengal Tomorrow

Amphan is the equivalent of a Category-5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, according to US space agency NASA. The space agency's Aqua satellite passed over the Indian Ocean on Monday and gathered water vapor data that showed the intensity of powerful tropical cyclone.

NASA used the images captured by its satellite to gather data about the temperature of the cloud top, which is the highest altitude of the visible portion of the cloud. "Coldest cloud top temperatures were as cold as or colder than minus 70 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 56.6 degrees Celsius) in those storms. Storms with cloud top temperatures that cold have the capability to produce heavy rainfall," the space agency said in a blog.

The storm was formed over south-east Bay of Bengal on Saturday evening (May 16).  "It was designated Tropical Cyclone 01B. Overnight, it quickly strengthened to hurricane force," NASA said. 

This is the second pre-monsoon cyclone to form in the Bay of Bengal in the last two years. Odisha, which was praised for its handling of last year's pre-monsoon storm - Cyclone Fani, is again ready to evacuate 10 lakh people. The state has set a zero-casualty target.

Amphan is likely to make landfall in Bengal tomorrow with maximum sustained wind speed of 155-165 km per hour, gusting to 185 km per hour. It is likely to make a landfall as a strong storm equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane.

The storm is expected to bring dangerous winds, storm surge and flooding to coastal areas of West Bengal in India and Bangladesh. The IMD has warned of a storm surge of about 4-5 meters above astronomical tide that is likely to inundate low-lying areas of West Bengal during landfall.

Massive devastation is expected since the coastal areas that will be impacted are densely populated. The IMD anticipates extensive damage to houses and potential threat from flying objects. Rail and road traffic will also be disrupted. 

"Amphan", pronounced as "Um-pun", means sky. The name was given by Thailand in 2004, years ago. According to the Press Information Bureau, the next few cyclones will be named Nisarga (suggested by Bangladesh), Gati (India), Nivar (Iran), Burevi (Maldives), Tauktae (Myanmar) and Yaas (Oman).

The storm is being constantly tracked by Doppler Weather Radar at Vishakhapatnam.

Light to moderate rainfall has also been predicted in Sikkim, Assam and Meghalaya, which may also be impacted by the tropical storm.