NASA's AIRS instrument on the Aqua satellite captured this image of Tropical Cyclone 01B in the Northern Indian Ocean on May 18, 2016. This system which had been designated System 91B turned into a cyclone during the early morning hours of May 18, 2016. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) issued Warning #01 at 0900 GMT (5:00am EDT) that same day.The storms position is currently 84 miles northeast of Chennai, India moving at 9 kph. The maximum sustained winds in the storm are clocking in at 40 knots with gusts up to 50 knots. Current land masses that are threatened are India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. Wave height in the area of the storm is as high as 14 feet.
From its inception on May 14 to present the Sri Lankan Disaster Management Center reported that areas of the nation received the highest amount of rainfall since 2010. Cyclone 01B will move northeast, paralleling the east coast of India. Newspapers in the area are reporting deaths due to the rainfall and landslides. The Times of India reported 134,000 persons have been displaced due to the storm. It is predicted that the storm will intensify to 55 knots, before adverse conditions prompt a weakening trend in the northern part of the Bay of Bengal.
###