Now, Nari likely to hit eastern shores

The typhoon could follow the same path as Phailin

As if cyclone Phailin was not enough, it is now the turn of typhoon Nari to hit the country's eastern shores. According to scientists and the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Nari could follow the same path as Phailin, and is highly likely to hit the areas along the Bay of Bengal coast.

Although weather scientists and IMD officials are not ready to commit to a trajectory for the typhoon so early in its formation, sources said that it is likely to follow in Phailin’s footsteps.
Nari is currently wreaking havoc in South-East Asia, with Vietnam and the Philippines at the receiving end.

Even the Chinese government has issued a high alert, with the typhoon expected to affect the southern coast of the country.

The typhoon, whose origin can be traced back to the South China Sea, just like Phailin, has put Met officials in overdrive, with scientists resorting to calculations to map its possible trajectory.

Senior officials closely monitoring the situation said predicting such trajectories is not easy until the formation is close by. Some senior IMD officials, however, told reporters that all steps are being taken to find out where the typhoon could hit, and the department’s cyclone warning division has been put on high alert.

The biggest cause for concern for weather scientists and Met officials is the fact that 26 of the 35 deadliest tropical storms in the history of South Asia have originated in the Bay of Bengal.

The deadliest storm to strike in this region, cyclone Bhola, hit what is now Bangladesh and claimed nearly 5 lakh lives in 1970.

The area had witnessed two other typhoon Naris, with different official designations. One had ravaged the Korean Peninsula in September 2007, and another had passed through Taiwan in September 2001.