India’s Tamil Nadu braces for severe storm as schools remain closed

A powerful cyclone is expected to hit southern India on Saturday, prompting authorities to close schools and move hundreds of people inland to storm shelters.

Cyclonic storm “Fengal” will hit Tamil Nadu state with sustained winds of 70-80 kilometers per hour in the afternoon, according to the Indian Meteorological Bureau.

The forecast urged fishing crews to stay out of the water and predicted waves as high as one meter, which posed a risk of flooding to low-lying coastal areas.

Schools and colleges in many districts of Tamil Nadu were closed and at least 471 people were shifted to relief camps, the Economic Times reported.

Cyclones—the equivalent of hurricanes in the North Atlantic or typhoons in the northwest Pacific—are a regular and deadly threat in the northern Indian Ocean.

Earlier this week, Fengal made landfall off the coast of Sri Lanka, killing at least 12 people, including six children.

Scientists warn that storms are getting stronger as the world warms due to climate change caused by the burning of fossil fuels.

Warmer ocean surfaces release more water vapor, which provides additional energy for storms, increasing wind.

A warming atmosphere also allows them to hold more water, increasing heavy rain.

But better forecasting and more effective evacuation planning have dramatically reduced the death toll.