Schools shut as cyclone approaches India coast

MUMBAI: Schools were closed in southern India and hundreds of people moved to storm shelters ahead of a powerful cyclonic storm that hit the region on Saturday. Cyclone Fangal is forecast to make landfall in Tamil Nadu state with winds of 70-80 mph. Kilometers per hour (43-50 mph) in the afternoon, the India Meteorological Department forecast, urging fishing crews to stay out of the water and one meter (three feet).There is a risk of flooding in low-lying coastal areas. Schools and colleges were closed in several districts of Tamil Nadu and at least 471 people were shifted to relief camps, the Economic Times newspaper reported. Cyclones—the equivalent of hurricanes in the North Atlantic or northwest Pacific—are a regular and deadly threat in the northern Indian Ocean. Earlier this week, Fengal wreaked havoc off the coast of Sri Lanka.. Scientists have warned that storms are increasing. Powerful as the world warms due to climate change driven by the burning of fossil fuels. Warmer ocean surfaces release more water. Evaporation, which provides additional energy for storms, strengthens the winds.