List of very severe cyclonic storms
Cyclone Yaas , shortly before landfall in Odisha on May 26 near peak intensity
A Very Severe Cyclonic Storm is the third highest category used by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to classify tropical cyclones, within the North Indian Ocean tropical cyclone basin between the Malay Peninsula and the Arabian Peninsula . Within the basin a very severe cyclonic storm is defined as a tropical cyclone that has 3-minute mean maximum sustained wind speeds of between 64–89 knots (119–165 km/h ; 74–102 mph ). The category was introduced alongside the Super Cyclonic Storm category during 1999 in order to replace the previously used Severe Cyclonic Storm with Core of Hurricane Winds. However, it was bifurcated during 2015, when the IMD introduced a new Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm category. There have been at least eight storms that have attained such an intensity. The most recent super cyclonic storm was Cyclone Kyarr in 2019 North Indian Ocean cyclone season .
Background
The North Indian Ocean tropical cyclone basin is located to the north of the Equator , and encompasses the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, between the Malay Peninsula and the Arabian Peninsula .[ 1] [ 2] The basin is officially monitored by the India Meteorological Department 's Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre in New Delhi, however, other national meteorological services such as the Bangladesh and Pakistan Meteorological Department's also monitor the basin.[ 1] [ 2]
The Very Severe Cyclonic Storm category was introduced during 1999 alongside Super Cyclonic Storms in order, to replace the previously used Severe Cyclonic Storm with Core of Hurricane Winds.[ 2] At the time it was the second-highest category with systems having 3-minute sustained wind speeds of between 64–119 kn (119–220 km/h; 74–137 mph).[ 2] However, during 2015 the category was bifurcated, after the IMD introduced a new Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm category. As a result, very severe cyclonic storms are currently estimated, to have 3-minute sustained wind speeds of between 64–89 kn (119–165 km/h; 74–102 mph).[ 1]
Systems
Name
System dates
Sustained wind speeds
Pressure
Areas affected
Deaths
Damage (USD)
Refs
Unnamed
October 31, 1831
Not Specified
Not Specified
Orissa
22,000
[ 3]
Unnamed
October 2 – 5, 1864
Not Specified
Not Specified
West Bengal
50,000
[ 3]
Unnamed
April 28 – May 5, 1966
Not Specified
Not Specified
[ 4]
Unnamed
October 8 – 11, 1967
155 km/h (100 mph)
980 hPa (28.94 inHg)
[ 5]
Unnamed
October 20 – 24, 1967
150 km/h (90 mph)
986 hPa (29.12 inHg)
[ 5]
Unnamed
December 4 – 8, 1967
130 km/h (80 mph)
988 hPa (29.18 inHg)
[ 5]
Unnamed
September 29 – October 4, 1968
130 km/h (80 mph)
984 hPa (29.06 inHg)
[ 6]
Unnamed
November 9 – 15, 1968
140 km/h (85 mph)
970 hPa (28.64 inHg)
[ 6]
Unnamed
May 2 – 7, 1970
150 km/h (90 mph)
975 hPa (28.79 inHg)
Bangladesh, Myanmar
[ 7]
Unnamed
October 18 – 22, 1970
130 km/h (80 mph)
980 hPa (28.94 inHg)
Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Bangladesh
200-300
[ 7]
Unnamed
September 27 – October 1, 1971
120 km/h (75 mph)
979 hPa (28.91 inHg)
West Bengal, Bangladesh
[ 8]
Unnamed
December 14 – 21, 1971
130 km/h (80 mph)
987 hPa (29.15 inHg)
Arabia
[ 8]
Unnamed
April 7 – 11, 1972
150 km/h (90 mph)
983 hPa (29.03 inHg)
[ 9]
Unnamed
October 19 – 25, 1972
120 km/h (75 mph)
984 hPa (29.06 inHg)
[ 9]
Unnamed
November 15 – 23, 1972
150 km/h (90 mph)
985 hPa (29.09 inHg)
[ 9]
Unnamed
December 1 – 8, 1972
140 km/h (85 mph)
984 hPa (29.06 inHg)
[ 9]
Pradeep
November 3 – 9, 1973
140 km/h (85 mph)
984 hPa (29.06 inHg)
[ 10]
Contai
August 13 – 20, 1974
140 km/h (85 mph)
970 hPa (28.64 inHg)
[ 11]
Unnamed
May 1 – 11, 1975
150 km/h (90 mph)
979 hPa (28.91 inHg)
[ 12]
Unnamed
May 4 – 8, 1975
155 km/h (100 mph)
976 hPa (28.82 inHg)
[ 12]
Mahuva
May 29 – June 3, 1976
130 km/h (80 mph)
970 hPa (28.64 inHg)
[ 13]
Contai
September 8 – 19, 1976
130 km/h (80 mph)
977 hPa (28.85 inHg)
[ 13]
Machilipatnam
November 3 – 6, 1976
120 km/h (75 mph)
987 hPa (29.15 inHg)
[ 13]
Unnamed
December 28, 1976 – January 3, 1976
150 km/h (90 mph)
981 hPa (28.97 inHg)
[ 13]
Unnamed
November 8 – 12, 1977
140 km/h (85 mph)
984 hPa (29.06 inHg)
[ 14]
Unnamed
May 14 – 17, 1978
150 km/h (90 mph)
965 hPa (28.50 inHg)
[ 15]
Unnamed
September 18 - 24, 1979
130 km/h (80 mph)
980 hPa (28.94 inHg)
[ 16]
Unnamed
October 28 - November 3, 1981
120 km/h (75 mph)
983 hPa (29.03 inHg)
[ 17]
Unnamed
November 16 - 20, 1981
120 km/h (75 mph)
983 hPa (29.03 inHg)
[ 17]
Unnamed
December 4 - 11, 1981
140 km/h (85 mph)
980 hPa (28.94 inHg)
[ 17]
BOB 01
May 21 - 26, 1985
120 km/h (75 mph)
Not Specified
[ 18] [ 19]
BOB 01
January 30 - February 4, 1987
140 km/h (85 mph)
970 hPa (28.64 inHg)
[ 18] [ 20]
ARB 01
November 12 - 15, 1993
120 km/h (75 mph)
986 hPa (29.12 inHg)
[ 18]
ARB 02
November 15 - 20, 1994
120 km/h (75 mph)
984 hPa (29.06 inHg)
[ 18]
BOB 07
November 8 - 9, 1995
145 km/h (90 mph)
978 hPa (28.88 inHg)
[ 18]
BOB 08
November 6, 1996
145 km/h (90 mph)
978 hPa (28.88 inHg)
[ 18]
BOB 09
December 3 - 4, 1996
120 km/h (75 mph)
984 hPa (29.06 inHg)
[ 18]
BOB 08
November 15, 1998
145 km/h (90 mph)
982 hPa (29.00 inHg)
[ 18]
BOB 09
November 21 - 22, 1998
120 km/h (75 mph)
984 hPa (29.06 inHg)
[ 18]
BOB 01
May 12 - 14, 2003
120 km/h (75 mph)
980 hPa (28.94 inHg)
[ 18]
Phet
June 2 - 4, 2010
155 km/h (100 mph)
964 hPa (28.47 inHg)
[ 18]
Thane
December 25 - 31, 2011
140 km/h (85 mph)
969 hPa (28.61 inHg)
[ 18]
Lehar
November 23 – 28, 2013
140 km/h (85 mph)
980 hPa (28.94 inHg)
Malay Peninsula, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
[ 18]
Vardah
December 6 – 13, 2016
130 km/h (80 mph)
975 hPa (28.79 inHg)
Sumatra, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Thailand Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India
[ 18]
Ockhi
November 29 - December 6, 2017
155 km/h (100 mph)
976 hPa (28.82 inHg)
Sri Lanka, South India, Western India, Maldives
137
[ 21]
Luban
October 6 – 15, 2018
140 km/h (85 mph)
978 hPa (28.88 inHg)
Yemen, Oman
14
[ 22]
Titli
October 8 – 13, 2018
150 km/h (90 mph)
972 hPa (28.70 inHg)
Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Bangladesh
85
[ 22]
Gaja
November 10 – 18, 2018
130 km/h (80 mph)
976 hPa (28.82 inHg)
Andaman Islands, India, Sri Lanka
46
[ 22]
Vayu
June 10 – 17, 2019
150 km/h (90 mph)
970 hPa (28.64 inHg)
Maldives, India, Pakistan, Oman
[ 23]
Hikaa
September 22 – 25, 2019
140 km/h (85 mph)
972 hPa (28.70 inHg)
Western India, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Yemen
[ 24]
Bulbul
November 5 – 11, 2019
140 km/h (85 mph)
976 hPa (28.82 inHg)
Myanmar, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Eastern India, Bangladesh
[ 25]
Gati
November 21 – 24, 2020
140 km/h (85 mph)
976 hPa
Socotra, Yemen, Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia
9
$1 million
Nivar
November 23 – 27, 2020
120 km/h (75 mph)
980 hPa
Sri Lanka, India
14
$600 million
Yaas
May 23 – 28, 2021
130 km/h (80 mph)
972 hPa
Sri Lanka, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Myanmar, India, Bangladesh
20
$2.84 billion
[ 26]
Climatology
Very Severe Cyclonic Storms by month.
Month
Number of storms
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Very Severe Cyclonic Storms by decade.
Period
Number of storms
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
References
^ a b c RA I Tropical Cyclone Committee. Tropical Cyclone Operational Plan for the Tropical Cyclone Operational Plan for the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea 2019 (PDF) (Report). World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved May 8, 2020 .
^ a b c d Best track data of tropical cyclonic disturbances over the north Indian Ocean (PDF) (Report). India Meteorological Department. July 14, 2009. Retrieved October 31, 2015 .
^ a b "Historical records of 12 most devastating cyclones, which formed in the Bay of Bengal and made landfall on the East coast of India" . National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project. Archived from the original on June 5, 2010. Retrieved May 23, 2020 .
^ India Weather Review Annual Summary — Part-C: Storms and Depressions 1966 (PDF) (Report). India Meteorological Department. 1967. Retrieved May 30, 2020 .
^ a b c India Weather Review Annual Summary — Part-C: Storms and Depressions 1967 (PDF) (Report). India Meteorological Department. 1969. Retrieved May 30, 2020 .
^ a b India Weather Review Annual Summary — Part-C: Storms and Depressions 1968 (PDF) (Report). India Meteorological Department. 1969. Retrieved May 26, 2020 .
^ a b India Weather Review Annual Summary — Part-C: Storms and Depressions 1970 (PDF) (Report). India Meteorological Department. 1971. Retrieved May 26, 2020 .
^ a b Das, P K; George, C A; Jambunathan, R. "Cyclones and Depressions of 1971 - Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea" (PDF) . Mausam . 31 (3): 453– 356.
^ a b c d Das, P K; George, C A; Jambunathan, R (1973). "Cyclones and Depressions of 1972 - Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea" (PDF) . Mausam . 24 (4): 327– 344. doi :10.54302/mausam.v24i4.5165 . S2CID 247045331 .
^ Alexander, George; George, C A; Jambunathan, R (1974). "Cyclones and Depressions of 1973 - Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea" (PDF) . Mausam . 25 (3 & 4): 347– 362. doi :10.54302/mausam.v25i3.5240 . S2CID 249031839 .
^ Alexander, George; George, C A; Jambunathan, R (1976). "Cyclones and Depressions of 1974 - Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea" (PDF) . Mausam . 27 (2): 113– 126. doi :10.54302/mausam.v27i2.2417 . S2CID 246971391 .
^ a b Alexander, George; George, C A; Jambunathan, R (1977). "Cyclones and Depressions of 1975 - Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea" (PDF) . Mausam . 28 (1): 3– 20. doi :10.54302/mausam.v28i1.2655 . S2CID 246968196 .
^ a b c d Alexander, George; George, C A; Jambunathan, R. "Cyclones and Depressions in the Indian Seas in 1976" (PDF) . Mausam . 29 (4): 613– 628.
^ Pant, P S; Ramakrishnan, A R; Jambunathan, R (1980). "Cyclones and Depressions over the Indian Seas in 1977" (PDF) . Mausam . 31 (3): 337– 356. doi :10.54302/mausam.v31i3.3533 . S2CID 246784388 .
^ Srinivasan, V; Ramakrishnan, A R; Jambunathan, R. "Cyclones and Depressions over the Indian Seas in 1978" (PDF) . Mausam . 31 (4): 495– 506. doi :10.54302/mausam.v31i4.3444 . S2CID 246781079 .
^ Mukherjee, A K; Ramakrishnan, A R; Jambunathan, R (1981). "Cyclones and Depressions over the Indian Seas in 1979" (PDF) . Mausam . 32 (2): 115– 126. doi :10.54302/mausam.v32i2.3398 . S2CID 246848511 .
^ a b c Mukherjee, A K; Ramakrishnan, A R; Jambunathan, R. "Cyclones and Depressions over Indian Seas in 1981" (PDF) . Mausam . 34 (1): 1– 8. doi :10.54302/mausam.v34i1.2029 . S2CID 246915439 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "IMD Best track data 1982-2022" (xls) . India Meteorological Department. A guide on how to read the database is available here .
^ Das, Nooton; Rao, M R M; Biswas, N C. "Cyclones and Depressions over Indian Seas and the Indian sub-continent during 1987" (PDF) . Mausam . 38 (1): 1– 8. doi :10.54302/mausam.v38i1.2629 . S2CID 249004871 .
^ Das, Nooton; Dessai, D S; Biswas, N C. "Cyclones and Depressions over Indian Seas and the Indian sub-continent during 1987" (PDF) . Mausam . 40 (1): 1– 8.
^ Report on Cyclonic Disturbances (Depressions and Tropical Cyclones) over North Indian Ocean in 2017 (PDF) (Report). India Meteorological Department. April 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2020 .
^ a b c Report on Cyclonic Disturbances (Depressions and Tropical Cyclones) over North Indian Ocean in 2018 (PDF) (Report). India Meteorological Department. July 2019. Retrieved May 30, 2020 .
^ Very Severe Cyclonic Storm "Vaya" over the Arabian Sea (PDF) (Report). India Meteorological Department. July 2019. Retrieved May 30, 2020 .
^ Very Severe Cyclonic Storm "Hikka" over eastcentral and adjoining northeast Arabian Sea (PDF) (Report). India Meteorological Department. Retrieved May 30, 2020 .
^ Very Severe Cyclonic Storm "Bulbul" over the Bay of Bengal (PDF) (Report). India Meteorological Department. Retrieved May 30, 2020 .
^ Khanra, Sujoy; Mandal, Suman; Konar, Debashis (May 29, 2021). "Initial Cyclone Yaas damage Rs 20,000 crore, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee tells PM Modi" . The Times of India . Retrieved 2021-05-29 .
External links