Second tropical storm threatens Burma by Rob McElwee
Forecasters are keeping a watchful eye on a possible new tropical storm which could be developing near Burma.
A cluster of rotating thunderstorms has developed in and around Burma and is likely to lash the country with torrential rain and may exacerbate flooding. Heavy storms in the Gulf of Martaban are affecting Rangoon and the Irrawaddy River delta – the area hardest hit by Cyclone Nargis over a week ago.
As the storms drift into the Bay of Bengal, forecasters expect the thunderstorms to amalgamate over the very warm waters and become a tropical depression, and then subsequently a tropical storm, if conditions are favourable.
Most tropical storms originate as a cluster of thunderstorms which then group together and become what’s known as a tropical depression. If the sea temperature beneath the depression is at or above 27C (81F) and outflow of air at the top of the system is strong, then rotation of the depression will increase, thus intensifying and becoming a tropical storm.
The development of a second tropical storm near Burma is clearly of concern since Cyclone Nargis wreaked havoc across the southern portion of the country 12 days ago. Nargis hit the southern coast of Burma with full force and has left nearly two million people homeless.
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