November 18, 2023 - Tropical Cyclone Midhili

Midhili

Tropical Depression Midhili was strengthening over the Bay of Bengal on November 16, 2023, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image.

By noon local time (1:00 a.m. EDT/0600 UTC) on November 17, Midhili made landfall near the Payra seaport in Patuakhali, Bangladesh with maximum sustained winds of about 45 mph (72 km/h). Gusts of up to 54.7 mph (88 km/h) were reported across southeastern Bangladesh through the day, although Tropical Cyclone Midhili weakened once over land. Once in India, Midhili had returned to tropical depression, with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (64.4 mph). By late that evening, only remnants of the storm remained.

Although Tropical Cyclone Midhili was not a particularly strong nor long-lived system, early reports indicate that many low-lying areas in the southern district of Bangladesh were flooded and several trees down. At least five people have been reported killed, including a man who was struck by a falling tree branch and a family of four in Cox’s Bazar who died when a mud wall of their home collapsed. There is also concern about extensive crop damage due to heavy rains.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 11/16/2023
Resolutions: 1km (699.4 KB), 500m (2.1 MB),
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC