Inundating storm tides, destructive winds and flooding rain swept ashore alongwith Tropical Cyclone Aila as it made landfall on eastern India Monday killingat least a dozen people. Though even one death is too many, the number issubstantially lower than previously feared. At the time of landfall, which was near midday local time, highestsustained winds near 75 mph were at least those of a minimal hurricane. Duringthe time of landfall, the storm was strengthening and may have led to a higherthan typical storm surge.
As a Category 1 hurricane, Aila was capable of a storm tide reaching atleast 4-5 feet above normal. Given the local landscape of low-lying islands andtidal inlets, known as the Sundarbans, the storm surge brought substantialflooding. 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 floodingdownpours. The city was spared the worst of the storm's wind and tidalflooding, as it lies about 100 miles north of the open Bay of Bengal.
In southwestern Bangladesh, which shares the Sundarbans with India, thestorm's severe wind and storm tides took a toll of life and property. Hereagain, 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 trackingnorthward. Aila will eventually break up along the eastern Himalayas. However,the severe weather threat is shift from damaging wind and coastal flooding toinland flash flooding rain, especially along the Himalayan Foothills. Rainfallin 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. Acyclone in 1970 killed as many as 500,000 people. Cyclones in 1991 and 1997each left 150,000 people dead. Fortunately, Aila was not nearly as strong asthese past cyclones.,/p>The government of India took no chances had begun to mobilize relief effortsand rescue operations prior to Aila's arrival.
The cyclone disrupted air travel in the region. At Kolkata, the West BengalCapital, outgoing flights were suspended and incoming flights werere-routed.
Story by AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Jim Andrews and Accuweather.com'sGina Cherundolo