Bangladesh evacuates hundreds of thousands as a severe cyclone approaches from the Bay of Bengal

NEW DELHI (AP) — Bangladesh evacuated nearly 800,000 people from vulnerable areas on Sunday as the country and neighboring India awaited the arrival of a severe cyclone that has formed over the Bay of Bengal.

The storm is expected to cross Bangladesh and India’s West Bengal coasts around midnight Sunday. The India Meteorological Department said it is expected to reach maximum wind speeds of up to 120 kilometers per hour (75 mph), with gusts up to 135 kph (85 mph) hitting West Bengal’s Sagar Island and Bangladesh’s Khepupara region on Sunday night.

Bangladesh’s junior minister for disaster management and relief, Mohibur Rahman, said volunteers have been deployed to evacuate people to 4,000 cyclone shelters across the country's coastal region. The government also closed all schools in the region until further notice.

India's Kolkata airport will be closed for 21 hours from midnight Sunday. Bangladesh shut down the airport in the southeastern city of Chattogram and canceled all domestic flights to and from Cox’s Bazar.

Bangladeshi authorities also suspended loading and unloading in the country’s largest main seaport in Chittagong and started moving more than a dozen ships from the jetties to the deep sea as a precaution.

This is the first cyclone in the Bay of Bengal ahead of this year's monsoon season, which runs from June to September.

Moderate to heavy rainfall is expected in most places over coastal districts in India's West Bengal state. A storm surge about 1 meter (3.1 feet) high is expected to flood low-lying areas of coastal West Bengal and Bangladesh.

Such storms can uproot trees and cause major damage to thatched homes and power and communication lines, the statement said.

India’s coasts are often hit by cyclones, but changing climate patterns have caused them to become more intense, making preparations for natural disasters more urgent.

A man salvages a recliner as strong winds caused by the advancing Cyclone Remal hit the Kuakata beach on the coast of Bay of Bengal in Barisal, Bangladesh, Sunday, May 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdul Goni)

Members of the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society ask people to vacate as strong winds caused by the advancing Cyclone Remal hit the Kuakata beach on the coast of Bay of Bengal in Barisal, Bangladesh, Sunday, May 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdul Goni)

Men salvage a refrigerator as water flows on to the Kuakata beach on the coast of Bay of Bengal caused by the advancing Cyclone Remal in Barisal, Bangladesh, Sunday, May 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdul Goni)

Vendors run to salvage their belongings as strong winds caused by the advancing Cyclone Remal hit the Kuakata beach on the coast of Bay of Bengal in Barisal, Bangladesh, Sunday, May 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdul Goni)

A man salvages a cart and other material as water flows on to the Kuakata beach on the coast of Bay of Bengal caused by the advancing Cyclone Remal in Barisal, Bangladesh, Sunday, May 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdul Goni)

Men move fishing nets as water flows on to the Kuakata beach on the coast of Bay of Bengal caused by the advancing Cyclone Remal in Barisal, Bangladesh, Sunday, May 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdul Goni)

Men salvage a reclining chair and other material as water flows on to the Kuakata beach on the coast of Bay of Bengal caused by the advancing Cyclone Remal in Barisal, Bangladesh, Sunday, May 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdul Goni)

Strong winds hit Kuakata beach on the coast of Bay of Bengal as Cyclone Remal advances in Barisal, Bangladesh, Sunday, May 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdul Goni)

A boy stands on a broken signboard as water flows on to the Kuakata beach on the coast of Bay of Bengal caused by the advancing Cyclone Remal in Barisal, Bangladesh, Sunday, May 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdul Goni)

A man salvages a cart and other material as water flows on to the Kuakata beach on the coast of Bay of Bengal caused by the advancing Cyclone Remal in Barisal, Bangladesh, Sunday, May 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdul Goni)

In this screen-grab taken from the website of India Meteorological Department, Government of India, cyclonic activity is visible over the Bay of Bengal on the eastern coast of India, Sunday, May 26, 2024. The India Meteorological Department says the cyclonic storm will cross Bangladesh and India’s West Bengal coasts around midnight Sunday. (India Meteorological Department via AP)

PHOENIX (AP) — Extreme heat spread across Arizona, New Mexico and parts of Texas, Colorado and Kansas as severe weather swept across many parts of the U.S. on Sunday. There was unseasonable cold in the Pacific Northwest, snow headed to the northern Rocky Mountains and heavy rainfall forecast from the northern Plains to the Upper Midwest.

The National Weather Service estimated that more than 63 million people were under heat advisories on Sunday, stretching from the Southwest northward up through Denver and into Chicago.

Temperatures in Phoenix, which hit 112 degrees Fahrenheit (44.4 Celsius) on Saturday, were expected to reach close to that on Sunday. Weather service forecasters say the first two weeks of June in Phoenix already have been an average of 5.6 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than normal, making it the hottest start to June on record.

“We have already seen some pretty significantly high temperatures in our area,” said Ted Whittock, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix. “We are recommending that everyone reduce their time outdoors between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., stay hydrated and wear light, looser fitting clothing."

Whittock said the heat in metro Phoenix will ease a bit Monday through Wednesday, with the highs pushing back up as the week progresses, likely prompting another excessive heat warning.

The heat has been especially dangerous in recent years in metro Phoenix, where 645 people died from heat-related causes in 2023 — a record.

The city and Maricopa County have adopted additional measures this year in hopes of keeping people safer, including two new overnight cooling centers where people can rest in air conditioning after the sun goes down. There are more than 100 other cooling centers that have been open since May 1 where people can get cold water and sit in a cool space during daytime hours.

In neighboring New Mexico, a heat advisory was in effect over the weekend for the Chavez County plains including Roswell, where the high was forecast to hit 107 degrees F (41.6 degrees C) on Monday. The high for Albuquerque was forecast for 99 degrees F (37.2 C) on Sunday, cooling slightly to 96 degrees F (37.6 C) on Monday. Highs were expected to approach 105 F (40.6 C) in El Paso, Texas, which has now opened five cooling centers.

Temperatures from the 90s to nearly 100 degrees F (37.7 C) were expected in metro Denver and areas to the south. Thunderstorms were possible in communities north of Denver.

The heat wave was moving eastward Sunday into the Plains and the Great Lakes area and was expected to arrive in the Northeast by Tuesday. The threat of thunderstorms with potential high winds and heavy rainfall was increasing in the Chicago area, even as heat indices were forecast to reach near 100 degrees F (37.7 C) through the middle of the week.

As the heat wave spreads eastward, temperatures in Washington and the rest of the mid-Atlantic as well as New England were likely to see highs in the mid- to upper 90s as the week goes on, with excessive humidity making it feel even more oppressive.

The U.S. last year saw the the most heat waves, consisting of abnormally hot weather lasting more than two days, since 1936.

While much of the country swelters, late season snow was forecast for the northern Rockies Monday and Tuesday. Parts of Montana and north-central Idaho were under a winter weather watch, with as much as 6 inches (15 centimeters) of heavy, wet snow expected in the mountains around Missoula, Montana. As much as 20 inches (51 centimeters) was predicted for higher elevations around Glacier National Park.

Meanwhile, a fresh batch of tropical moisture will bring an increasing threat of heavy rain and flash flooding to the central Gulf Coast late Sunday into Monday. Heavy rain is expected to start Monday morning, with the moisture shifting toward the Gulf Coast by Tuesday.

The intense flooding from heavy rains continued to dissipate in southern Florida, where some areas in and around Miami and Fort Lauderdale were left underwater in recent days as storms dumped up to 20 inches (50 centimeters).

That unnamed storm system coincided with the early start of hurricane season, which this year is forecast to be among the most active in recent memory.

People gather on and around Navarre Beach Fishing Pier despite storm clouds approach the shore in Navarre Beach, Fla., Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

A boy cools off at a fountain during hot weather in Chicago, Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

A kid cools off at Gallagher Way park fountain during hot weather in Chicago, Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

A paraglider flies over Navarre Beach Fishing Pier as storm clouds approach the shore in Navarre Beach, Fla., Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

People gather on Navarre Beach Fishing Pier despite storm clouds approach the shore in Navarre Beach, Fla., Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

Home plate umpire Carlos Torres cools off during the ninth inning of a baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

A boy cools off at a fountain during hot weather in Chicago, Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

A boy cools off at a fountain during hot weather in Chicago, Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

A tug driver pulls a trailer of bags of ice for use in concession stands on the main concourse of Coors Field before the Colorado Rockies host the Pittsburgh Pirates in a baseball game Sunday, June 16, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

A boy cools off at a fountain during hot weather in Chicago, Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Families wade in ankle deep water at Yards Park Canal Basin, Sunday, June 16, 2024, as temperatures begin to steam up in Washington. The park usually has a waterfall feature which is currently down for maintenance. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Cheryl Batch picks up a bag of ice to use to cool beverages at a stand on the main concourse of Coors Field before the Colorado Rockies host the Pittsburgh Pirates in a baseball game Sunday, June 16, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

A concession worker pulls a tub of ice to a stand on the main concourse of Coors Field before the Colorado Rockies host the Pittsburgh Pirates in a baseball game Sunday, June 16, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

A boy cools off at a fountain outside Wrigley Field before a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals as hot weather dominates the weather in Chicago, Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

A boy cools off at a fountain outside Wrigley Field before a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals as hot weather descends upon the Chicago area Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh