Cyclone Fani is growing in strength and moving slowly north toward the Bay of Bengal, where it threatens to turn into a fierce Category 3 or stronger storm before making landfall in northeastern India. After landfall, the storm may spread strong winds and heavy rains into neighboring Bangladesh.
Why it matters: The cyclone threatens to bring heavy rain, strong winds and storm surge flooding to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal, and could parallel the coast for a time — making any wobble toward the east or west highly consequential for where it eventually comes ashore on or about May 3. The Bay of Bengal can support high intensity storms, and this region is extremely vulnerable to the range of hazards from tropical cyclones.
