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Tropical Cyclone Sidr
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Tropical Cyclone Sidr |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Sidr was continuing its northward progress over the Bay of Bengal on November 14, 2007. It was moving north toward the Mouths of the Ganges at a speed of 13 kilometers per hour (8 miles per hour), and winds in the storm system were raging at 220 km/hr (140 mph) near the storm's center, making it a Category 4 strength [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] tropical cyclone. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite acquired this photo-like image at 10:15 a.m. local time (4:45 UTC) on November 14, 2007. Tropical Cyclone Sidr appears here as a well-developed and distinct ball of circling clouds, the storm has a distinct but cloudy eye at its center. An extended arm of clouds reaches northward from the storm across Bangladesh, bringing the influence of the storm onshore already even though it was hundreds of kilometers to the south. Western Bangladesh, where the storm appeared to be headed as of November 15, is the most heavily populated low-lying area in the world, with a history of severe causalities from previous storms due to both direct flooding and storm surge. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center [ https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc.php ] was predicting that the storm would weaken, but still make landfall with hurricane-force winds. In 1970, a Category 3 storm that made landfall in the same vicinity caused 300,000 deaths and was one of the most deadly natural disasters in modern history. Another 138,000 people perished in 1991 from another such cyclone. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Tropical Cyclone Sidr
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Sidr |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Sidr was moving north toward the Mouths of the Ganges at a speed of 17 kilometers per hour (10 miles per hour) on November 15, 2007. Winds in the storm's center were raging at 240 km/hr (150 mph), making it a very strong Category 4 [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] tropical cyclone, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. [ https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc.php ] The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite acquired this photo-like image at 1:25 p.m. local time (6:55 UTC) on November 15, 2007. With its densely wound clouds and distinct eye, Tropical Cyclone Sidr has the appearance of a well-developed system. The northernmost fringes of the storm already cloud the skies over Bangladesh and India. Western Bangladesh, where the storm appeared to be headed as of November 15, is the most heavily populated low-lying area in the world, with a history of severe causalities from previous storms due to both direct flooding and storm surge. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center [ https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc.php ] predicted that the storm would weaken as it made landfall, but would maintain hurricane-force winds well after it moves inland. In 1970, a Category 3 storm that made landfall in the same vicinity caused 300,000 deaths and was one of the most deadly natural disasters in modern history. Another 138,000 people perished in 1991 from a similar cyclone. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Tropical Cyclone Sidr
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Sidr |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Sidr had been moving slowly north and gathering power as it drew closer to the coastline around the Mouth of the Ganges. However, in the hours before landfall, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, [ https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc.php ] the powerful Category 4 [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] cyclone lost strength and picked up its speed. As of November 16, peak winds had fallen to 110 kilometers per hour (70 miles per hour) and the storm was moving inland at 50 km/hr (30 mph). The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite acquired this photo-like image at 11:35 a.m. local time (6:05 UTC) on November 16, 2007. The storm appears to have no particular organization, dramatically different from just one day earlier, when it was an unmistakably powerful cyclone. As of November 16, sources such as the International Herald Tribune were reporting casualties from Sidr of perhaps 200 people in Bangladesh. India was largely spared from the storm. Evacuations had removed hundreds of thousands of people in both countries ahead of the storm. The storm surge and rain did flood many areas, overwhelming some protective dikes, burying fields under water, and washing away many mud homes in the coastal area. Power lines were toppled in many areas, and all of Bangladesh was without power for several hours during the height of the storm. Western Bangladesh, where the storm made landfall, is the most heavily populated low-lying area in the world, with a history of severe causalities from previous storms due to both direct flooding and storm surge. In 1970, a Category 3 storm that made landfall in the same vicinity caused 300,000 deaths and was one of the most deadly natural disasters in modern history. Another 138,000 people perished in 1991 from a similar cyclone. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided by the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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