Sidr has a tight eye, but is beginning to show the effects of wind shear on its outflow pattern. High clouds stream from south to north.

From the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (not my shouting).

REMARKS:

140300Z POSITION NEAR 14.7N 89.5E.

TROPICAL CYCLONE (TC) 06B (SIDR) LOCATED 500 NM SOUTH OF

CALCUTTA, INDIA, HAS TRACKED NORTHWARD AT 06 KNOTS OVER THE

PAST 06 HOURS. TC 06B HAS MAINTAINED INTENSITY OVER THE PAST

06 HOURS AS EVIDENT ON BOTH INFRARED SATELLITE IMAGERY AND

RECENT MICROWAVE IMAGERY. THE CURRENT INTENSITY IS BASED ON

DVORAK ESTIMATES OF 115 KNOTS FROM PGTW AND KNES. THE CURRENT

POSITION AND MOTION ARE BASED ON HIGH CONFIDENCE EYE FIXES.

POLEWARD OUTFLOW REMAINS VERY GOOD AHEAD OF AN UPPER-LEVEL

TROUGH SITUATED OVER EASTERN INDIA. TC 06B CONTINUES TO

TRACK NORTHWARD ALONG THE WESTERN PERIPHERY OF THE MID-

LEVEL SUBTROPICAL RIDGE TOWARD A BROAD WEAKNESS IN THE

STR LOCATED OVER THE NORTHERN BOB. AFTER TAU 24, VERTICAL

WIND SHEAR SHOULD INCREASE AS THE STORM APPROACHES

STRENGTHENING UPPER LEVEL WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE

TROUGHING TO THE NORTH AND THE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO

SIGNIFICANTLY WEAKEN NORTH OF 18N. THE DYNAMIC AIDS ARE IN

GOOD AGREEMENT ON A NORTHWARD TRACK INTO BANGLADESH.

MAXIMUM SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT AT 140000Z IS 32 FEET.

NEXT WARNINGS AT 140900Z, 141500Z, 142100Z AND 150300Z.//

NNNN

My efforts to post the imagery failed. Please go to the JTWC link for further images of the tropical cyclone.

Sidr is s Cat 4 on the Saffir Simpson scale of hurricane intensity. (Hurricanes are called tropical cyclones in the Indian Ocean.) Winds are forecast to drop to 70 knots - a category 1 storm - but coastal conditions in Bangladesh are so bad that this will be a catastrophe if the forecast is followed by the cyclone. Desperately poor people will have no way to evacuate in time to escape the flooding.