Extreme Weather: As Super Cyclone Amphan Looms, India And Bangladesh Evacuate Millions

The low-lying regions of India and Bangladesh have evacuated over 7 million people as Cyclone Amphan approaches the mainland. Building strength over the Bay of Bengal, the storm has been classified as a “super cyclonic storm” and is expected to reach “extremely severe cyclonic storm” classification once it reaches land Wednesday afternoon.

Amphan is expected to bring 110-mph winds and unleash severe flooding in many regions that are already highly vulnerable. In addition to winds, the storm is expected to bring major storm surges up to 16-feet high. Currently possessing strength on-par with a Category 5 hurricane, its strength will have dwindled to that of a still-deadly Category 3 by Wednesday.

The cyclone will first make landfall in the West Bengal and Odisha states in southeast India, before continuing east to Bangladesh. As of Tuesday morning, Amphan was an estimated 300 miles away from Odisha and was moving towards land at approximately 9 mph.

“It's very likely to move north-northeastwards and cross West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts between Digha in India and Hatiya Islands in Bangladesh, close to Sunderbans,” the Indian Meteorological Department explained on Tuesday.

Of the total planned evacuations, India will move roughly 5 million people while Bangladesh will move 2 million. The Indian government has also begun stockpiling food in West Bengal and Odisha in case certain areas get cut off by the storm.

“This is about as strong as cyclones get," CBS News meteorologist Jeff Berardelli said. “Even though the storm is forecast to weaken before landfall, the force of winds and pressure piling up ocean water underneath the storm's core will create enough momentum to make this a potentially catastrophic storm surge event for both eastern India and Bangladesh.”