Cyclone Fani made landfall near Puri, India, around 8 a.m. on Friday, after more than a million people were evacuated. The fast moving storm lashed the coast with gusts of more than 120 m.p.h.
Threat of Storm Surge and Sustained Wind
The greatest threat to residents was drowning — from flash flooding, storm surges that could reach 10 to 15 feet in some areas, and flooding from rivers in the days after the storm lands, said Derrick Herndon, an associate researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies.
Estimated Storm Surge
Estimated Maximum Wind Speed
24 feet or higher
1 feet
30 m.p.h
150 m.p.h
West
Bengal
West
Bengal
Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Kolkata
Kolkata
BANGLADESH
BANGLADESH
Storm surge could reach more than
20 feet along the coast
INDIA
INDIA
Odisha
Odisha
Puri
Puri
Districts likely to be impacted by the storm
Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal
Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam
Andhra
Pradesh
Andhra
Pradesh
Path of
Cyclone Fani
Path of
Cyclone Fani
50 miles
50 miles
Estimated Storm Surge
24 feet or higher
1 feet
West
Bengal
Jharkhand
Kolkata
BANGLADESH
Storm surge could reach more than 20 feet along the coast
INDIA
Odisha
Puri
Districts likely to be impacted by the storm
Bay of Bengal
Visakhapatnam
Andhra
Pradesh
Path of
Cyclone Fani
50 miles
Estimated Maximum Wind Speed
30 m.p.h
150 m.p.h
West
Bengal
Jharkhand
Kolkata
BANGLADESH
INDIA
Odisha
Puri
Bay of Bengal
Visakhapatnam
Andhra
Pradesh
Path of
Cyclone Fani
50 miles
Estimated Storm Surge
24 feet or higher
1 feet
West
Bengal
Kolkata
Jharkhand
BANG.
Storm surge could reach more than 20 feet along the coast
INDIA
Odisha
Puri
Districts likely to be impacted by the storm
Bay of Bengal
Visakhapatnam
Andhra
Pradesh
Path of
Cyclone Fani
50 miles
Estimated Maximum Wind Speed
30 m.p.h
150 m.p.h
West
Bengal
Jharkhand
Kolkata
BANG.
INDIA
Odisha
Puri
Bay of Bengal
Visakhapatnam
Andhra
Pradesh
Path of
Cyclone Fani
50 miles
Estimated Storm Surge
24 feet or higher
1 feet
West
Bengal
Jharkhand
Kolkata
INDIA
Odisha
Storm surge could reach more than
20 feet along the coast
Districts likely to be impacted by the storm
Puri
Bay of Bengal
Path of
Cyclone Fani
50 miles
Estimated Maximum Wind Speed
30 m.p.h
150 m.p.h
West
Bengal
Jharkhand
Kolkata
INDIA
Odisha
Puri
Bay of Bengal
Path of
Cyclone Fani
50 miles
Paths of Previous Cyclones
The Bay of Bengal has seen many cyclones. In 1999, the Odisha cyclone lingered for more than a day on India’s eastern coast, and killed more than 10,000 people. The state of Odisha was stuck again in 2013 by Cyclone Phailin, which killed 45 people. In Bangladesh, Cyclone Sidr killed more than 3,000 people in 2007.
Paths of Tropical Storms Since 1980
Category
5
4
3
2
1
Tropical storm
Forecast
Dhaka
JHARKHAND
WEST
BENGAL
Madhya
Pradesh
BANGLADESH
Kolkata
Chhattisgarh
Maharashtra
INDIA
ODISHA
1999 Odisha cyclone
2007
Cyclone Sidr
Puri
TELANGANA
Visakhapatnam
2013
Cyclone Phailin
Cyclone Fani
ANDHRA
PRADESH
Storms reaching at least tropical storm strength
100 miles
Paths of Tropical Storms Since 1980
Category
5
4
3
2
1
Tropical storm
Forecast
Dhaka
JHARKHAND
WEST
BENGAL
BANGLADESH
Kolkata
INDIA
1999
Odisha cyclone
2007
Cyclone Sidr
ODISHA
Puri
2013
Cyclone Phailin
Visakhapatnam
Cyclone Fani
Storms reaching at least tropical storm strength
100 miles
Paths of Tropical Storms Since 1980
Category
5
4
3
2
1
Tropical storm
Forecast
Dhaka
JHARKHAND
WEST
BENGAL
BANGLADESH
Kolkata
INDIA
1999 Odisha cyclone
Cyclone Sidr
ODISHA
Puri
Cyclone
Phailin
Cyclone
Fani
Storms reaching at least tropical storm strength
100 miles
