Cyclone Sidr Within Hours of Category 4 Landfall in Bangladesh

Cyclone Sidr, which has been gathering strength for days without capturing the attention of the world press, is within hours of a Category 4 landfall in Bangladesh, near its western border with India. Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), India's third-largest city, is in the path of the storm.

The low-lying delta region is home to a dense population that is among the most vulnerable to storms of this magnitude. The latest predictions from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center project winds of nearly 150 mph at landfall.

Evacuations have been ordered for thousands of people in the region on both sides of the border, according to press reports about the storm that are now widespread. One news service said 1 million people had been evacuated, and that islands along the coast are already being inundated.

Cyclone Sidr is currently on the cusp of Category 5 strength. The forecasts all week have been consistent and wrong. Expected to weaken, the storm has only gained strength as it churned through the Bay of Bengal, where nine of the world's 13 deadliest hurricanes have struck.

Scientists are debating the connection between global warming and tropical cyclones such as this. Some say they will — or have already — become more frequent or intense, fed by warmer waters, while others doubt it.

Whatever the underlying cause of this storm, it is a monster headed for one of the regions scientists agree is most vulnerable to the changes wrought by global warming: flood-prone, impoverished and subject to heavy damage from storms already.

Further, some of the brightest minds in the U.S. national security field have said Bangladesh is vulnerable to political upheaval this generation from global warming, as an explosive population will find its land less hospitable, leading potentially to a refugee crisis with far-reaching security implications.

Joint Typhoon Warning Center

Joint Typhoon Warning Center