Mahasen continued traveling northward over the Bay of Bengal on May 14, 2013. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image the same day. On May 14, the U.S. Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) reported that Mahasen had maximum sustained winds of 45 knots (85 kilometers per hour) and gusts up to 55 knots (100 kilometers per hour). Within 48 hours, the JTWC reported, sustained wind speeds were expected to increase to 70 knots (130 kilometers per hour).
The JTWC forecast map showed Mahasen coming ashore around May 17 and moving inland over Bangladesh, northeastern India, and Burma. Ahead of the storm, authorities ordered mass evacuations of low-lying areas. Considered especially vulnerable were some 12,000 people living in flood-prone, makeshift camps in western Burma.
References & Resources
- Joint Typhoon Warning Center Accessed May 14, 2013.
- The Guardian (2013, May 14) Boat capsizes off western Burma during cyclone Mahasen evacuation. Accessed May 14, 2013.
NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Michon Scott.
