Deadly Hurricane Michael is dominating weather headlines as it moves across the southeast U.S. However, significant cyclones are also affecting portions of the Arabian Peninsula and India. Cyclones Titli and Luban will cause major wind and flooding damage in the next several days.
Cyclone Titli intensified quickly on Thursday over the Bay of Bengal. It slammed into the Indian states of Odisha and northern Andhra Pradesh with damaging winds to 160 kph. The small cyclone will quickly weaken in terms of wind speed as it moves inland. However, it will drift slowly over eastern India through the weekend, dumping very heavy rains. Localized totals up to 250 mm will lead to spotty flash flooding.
The deserts along the south coast of the Arabian Peninsula typically see rainfall less than 100 mm in a whole year. However, Cyclone Luban will bring unusual tropical moisture into the region starting early Saturday. Luban will be weakening gradually as it approaches the coast. Wind damage will be relatively sparse and minor. However, a slow and meandering course will mean torrential rainfall from Saturday through at least Tuesday. Portions of eastern Yemen and far southeast Oman could see totals of 200-300 mm! That kind of rainfall over dry desert terrain will lead to major flash flooding and widespread mudslides.