A storm of massive proportions has thumped the coastal border regions of India and Bangladesh, slinging heavy rains and gusts exceeding 100 mph when it made landfall. After days of churning in the Bay of Bengal, Cyclone Amphan came ashore Wednesday afternoon local time on the northeastern coast of India with the strength of a Category 2 hurricane.
The cyclone has diminished in strength since its peak Monday, when its monster scale briefly earned the India Meteorological Department’s highest storm classification — an ominous distinction not seen in the region for more than two decades. But even in its weakened state, Amphan packed a wallop that has knocked out power and wrecked unstable structures along the coast.