Powerful Cyclone Threatens Mumbai as City Grapples With Coronavirus

A powerful cyclone barreled up the Arabian Sea on Wednesday, threatening the Indian commercial hub of Mumbai and the surrounding area with heavy flooding and 75 mile-an-hour winds.

Cyclone Nisarga was expected to make landfall with unusual force on Wednesday afternoon in the state of Maharashtra, home to Mumbai, a city of about 20 million. The region rarely experiences cyclones, and the last storm to strike Mumbai with such intensity was more than 70 years ago.

Efforts to blunt the cyclone’s harm are likely to be hampered by the coronavirus. Mumbai, which sits on a narrow peninsula, is struggling to contain a rising number of infections, and more than 100 Covid-19 patients have been evacuated from a makeshift hospital to higher ground. The city is densely populated and low-lying, making it particularly vulnerable.