AccuWeather.com reports inundating storm tides, destructive winds and flooding rain swept ashore along with Tropical Cyclone Aila as it made landfall on eastern India Monday. The death toll from the storm has reached 87.
At the time of landfall, which was near midday local time, highest sustained winds near 75 mph were at least those of a minimal hurricane. During the time of landfall, the storm was strengthening and may have led to a higher than typical storm surge.
As a Category 1 hurricane, Aila was capable of a storm tide reaching at least 4-5 feet above normal. Given the local landscape of low-lying islands and tidal inlets, known as the Sundarbans, the storm surge brought substantial flooding. These storm-prone coastal lowlands, site of many fishing villages, took a direct hit from the cyclone's hammering winds.
Aila directly hit the Indian state of West Bengal, which borders Bangladesh. In Calcutta, the storm unleashed damaging 50- to 60-mph wind gusts and flooding downpours. The city was spared the worst of the storm's wind and tidal flooding, as it lies about 100 miles north of the open Bay of Bengal.
In southwestern Bangladesh, which shares the Sundarbans with India, the storm's severe wind and storm tides took a toll of life and property. Here again, it was the fishing villages that bore the brunt of the storm's wrath. Rising waters cut off many villages, home to thousands in the region.
Having made landfall and headed inland, Aila is now weakening while tracking northward. Aila will eventually break up along the eastern Himalayas. However, the severe weather threat is shift from damaging wind and coastal flooding to inland flash flooding rain, especially along the Himalayan Foothills. Rainfall in excess of 10 inches may fall in some areas.
Bangladesh is extremely susceptible to storm surges from tropical cyclones, and the country has been the victim of some of history's deadliest storms. A cyclone in 1970 killed as many as 500,000 people. Cyclones in 1991 and 1997 each left 150,000 people dead. Fortunately, Aila was not nearly as strong as these past cyclones.
The government of India took no chances had begun to mobilize relief efforts and rescue operations prior to Aila's arrival.
The cyclone disrupted air travel in the region. At Kolkata, the West Bengal Capital, outgoing flights were suspended and incoming flights were re-routed.
Story by AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Jim Andrews and with contributions by AccuWeather.com's Gina Cherundolo
Justin Roberti
Roberti@AccuWeather.com
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