Major cyclones that hit India in past few decades
India has been hit by a number of cyclones since ages; tropical cyclones originate over the Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.
Hyderabad: There are many devastating natural calamities in the world which bring large scale destruction to human habitations, and one of them is tropical cyclones. They originate over oceans in tropical areas and move towards the coastal areas bringing large scale destruction caused by violent winds, very heavy rainfall and storm surges.
India has been hit by a number of cyclones since ages; tropical cyclones originate over the Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. These cyclones have very high wind velocity and heavy rainfall and hit the Indian Coastal states. Although cyclones affect the entire coast of India, the East coast is more prone as compared to the West coast. The most affected states are Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Destruction caused by cyclones
Cyclones cause a large number of deaths, loss of public and private property, loss of livelihood, and bring severe damage to infrastructure. Several trees and Communication systems are uprooted. Cyclones also lead to an abnormal rise of sea level, especially near the coastal areas. As a result, seawater inundates low lying areas of coastal regions, destroys vegetation, and erodes beaches and embankments. Post landfall, there are high chances for widespread communicable diseases.
According to reports, here is a list of the deadliest cyclones that hit India
Bhola Cyclone – 1970
It struck Bangladesh (Then, East Pakistan) and West Bengal in 1970. It was the strongest cyclone of the 1970 North Indian Ocean Cyclone Season. It is considered as the deadliest cyclone causing around 3-5 lakh deaths.
Super Cyclonic Storm BOB 01 – 1990
Super Cyclonic Storm BOB 01 formed on 4 May 1990. It made landfall equivalent to a Category 3 tropical cyclone on Andhra Pradesh on May 9. The cyclone killed 967 people. It was the worst storm to hit South India in pre-monsoon season until Cyclone Laila in 2010
Odisha Cyclone – 1999
The 1999 Odisha cyclone was the strongest recorded tropical cyclone in the North Indian Ocean and among the most destructive in the region. It made landfall in Odisha on 29 October. According to reports, around 9887 people lost their lives in this cyclone and thousands got displaced. Diarrhoea and cholera saw increased incidences following the storm’s impact.
Cyclone BOB 03 – 2002
Severe Cyclonic Storm impacted West Bengal on November 12 resulting in 173 deaths.
Cyclone Pyarr – 2005
Cyclonic Storm Pyarr tracked a rare path from northeast to southwest in the month of September in the Bay of Bengal and made landfall over Kalingapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. It killed 65 people in Andhra and adjoining Odisha.
Cyclonic Storm Nisha – 2008
Cyclonic Storm Nisha made landfall over Cuddalore in the month of December and brought catastrophic damages over Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. Nearly 200 people were killed by this storm and remains the 10th wettest storm in the Indian Ocean basin on record.
Cyclone Phyan – 2009
Cyclonic storm Phyan developed as a tropical disturbance to the southwest of Colombo in Sri Lanka on November 4, 2009. Cyclone Phyan caused heavy rainfall in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Gujarat. Phyan was one of the wettest cyclones in India and brought extremely heavy rainfall over the coasts of Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra.
Cyclone Nilam – 2012
Cyclonic storm Nilam was the deadliest tropical cyclone to directly affect South India since Cyclone Jal in 2010. It made landfall near Mahabalipuram on October 31 as a strong cyclonic storm with peak winds of 85 km/h (50 mph). The death toll in this cyclone was recorded at 75.
Cyclone Phailin – 2013
Extremely severe cyclonic storm Phailin was the most intense tropical cyclone to make landfall in India since the 1999 Odisha cyclone. The death toll in this cyclone stood at 45.
Cyclone Hudhud – 2014
Cyclone Hudhud was a strong tropical cyclone, which caused damage to Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. Visakhapatnam or Vizag along with Odisha was mostly affected by Hudhud. At least 124 people had lost their lives as strong winds and heavy rain swept across the state bringing in massive destruction.
Cyclone Vardah – 2016
Cyclone Vardah brought heavy rainfall to Andaman and Nicobar Islands and then crossed the eastern coast of India and affected Chennai, Kancheepuram and Visakhapatnam. 38 people had lost their lives in the aftermath of the cyclone.
Cyclone Ockhi – 2017
Cyclone Ockhi was the most intense and one of the strongest tropical cyclones of the 2017 North Indian Ocean cyclone season. Ockhi from the Arabian Sea affected mainland India along with coastal areas of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. A total of 245 people were killed as a result of this cyclone.
Cyclone Fani – 2019
Fani was termed as an extremely severe cyclonic storm that hit the Indian state of Odisha in May. It was equivalent to a high-end Category 4 major hurricane. It left behind a trail of destruction killing over 40 people.
Cyclone Amphan 2020
The Super Cyclonic Storm Amphan was a powerful and deadly cyclone, causing damage in Eastern India and Bangladesh in May 2020.
Cyclone Tauktae – 2021
The first cyclonic storm of 2021, Cyclone Tauktae, hit southern Gujarat on 17 May 2021. It developed in the Arabian Sea and was classified as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (VSCS). As many as 24 people were killed across three Indian states.
Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Yaas — 2021
Cyclone Yaas, which made landfall in Odisha’s Bhadrak district on May 26, has weakened into a severe cyclonic storm after battering Odisha and West Bengal with a wind speed of 130-145kmph, inundating the low-lying areas amid a storm surge, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
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