Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Tauktae has been heavily damaging communities along India's southwestern coast. The images in this post are from the Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre for Tropical Cyclones Over the North Indian Ocean. That is part of the India Meteorological Department. 

Cyclone Tauktae

Policemen enforcing a lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus stand beneath a rain shelter in Kochi, Kerala state, India, Sunday, May 16, 2021. A severe cyclone is roaring in the Arabian Sea off southwestern India with winds of up to 140 kilometers per hour (87 miles per hour), already causing heavy rains and flooding that have killed at least four people, officials said Sunday. (AP Photo/R S Iyer)

The RSMC issued an update at 5 PM EST saying they expect Tauktae to get stronger in the next 12 hours. Within the next day and a half it is expected to make landfall with gusts up to nearly 115 mph. That's the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane! If you're a little bit more of a weather nerd, you can click here to read the briefing from the RSMC. You will notice they discuss different factors (like the MJO) than our National Hurricane Center does in their forecast discussions. It's fascinating to watch how other people study the weather in different parts of our planet! 

5_17. RSMC TC ADVISORY-17 BASED ON 1800 UTC OF 16.05.2021_60a18ab3a58c0.png

If you're looking for more news about the cyclone, here's a story we posted earlier today:Â