Visible satellite image of Tropical Cyclone Nilofar in the Arabian Sea on Tuesday. (NASA)

In fewer than six hours on Tuesday, Tropical Cyclone Nilofar exploded in intensity, strengthening from the equivalent of a category 2 hurricane into a category 4 hurricane with winds of 135 mph, and gusts up to 160 mph.

Tropical Cyclone Nilofar, which formed on Saturday, is moving north through the Arabian Sea and is expected to make landfall in northwest India or Pakistan later this week.

Tropical Cyclone #Nilofar has intensified to CAT4 strength- strongest storm in Arabian Sea since Phet in 2010. pic.twitter.com/W8fyriLpLK

— Brandon Miller (@BrandonCNN) October 28, 2014

Nilofar, with a  is now the strongest tropical cyclone in the Arabian Sea since Phet in 2010, and the third strongest cyclone on record. Weather Underground’s Jeff Masters writes:

Intense hurricanes are rare in the Arabian Sea, due to the basin’s small size, the interference of the summer monsoon, and the frequent presence of dry air and dust from the Arabian Peninsula. Nilofar’s 130 mph sustained winds make it the third strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Arabian Sea, behind Category 5 Cyclone Gonu of 2007, which devastated Oman, and the 145 mph winds of Category 4 Cyclone Phet, which also did heavy damage in Oman. Fourth place is held jointly by the 2001 India Cyclone 01A and Very Severe Cyclonic Storm ARB 01 (02A) of 1999, which were Category 3 storms with 125 mph winds.

Nilofar’s winds are forecast to increase to 145 mph on Tuesday before a gradual decrease in intensity over the next few days, which is good news for India and Pakistan. Dry air from the desert as well as high wind shear should help keep the storm at bay as it approaches the coast by the end of the week.

Track forecast for Tropical Cyclone Nilofar on Tuesday. (JTWC)

Mutlispectral satellite image of Tropical Cyclone Nilofar on Tuesday. (JTWC)

Visible satellite loop of Nilofar. (NOAA/NASA and RAMMB/CIRA)