List of extremely severe cyclonic storms

Cyclone Biparjoy, at peak intensity while approaching the India-Pakistan border region on June 12, 2023

Behind super cyclonic storms, extremely severe cyclonic storms are the second-highest classification on the India Meteorological Department (IMD)'s intensity scale. There have been 32 of them since reliable records began in 1960. The most recent extremely severe cyclonic storm was Cyclone Biparjoy of the 2023 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] The basin is officially monitored by the India Meteorological Department's Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre in New Delhi.[1] Within the basin, an extremely severe cyclonic storm is defined as a tropical cyclone that has 3-minute mean maximum sustained wind speeds between 90–119 knots (165–220 km/h; 105–135 mph).[1]

Systems

Name Dates as a
tropical cyclone
Sustained
wind speeds
Pressure Areas affected Deaths Damage
(USD)
Refs
Two May 18 – 29, 1963 195 km/h (120 mph) 947 hPa (27.96 inHg) No land areas 0 None [2][3]
Unnamed November 1 – 11, 1966 205 km/h (125 mph) 961 hPa (28.38 inHg) [4]
Unnamed October 21 – 28, 1968 195 km/h (120 mph) 964 hPa (28.47 inHg) [5]
Unnamed November 7 – 8, 1969 165 km/h (105 mph) 975 hPa (28.79 inHg) Andrah Pradesh 200 [6]
Bhola November 8 – 13, 1970 185 km/h (115 mph) 966 hPa (28.53 inHg) India, Bangladesh 300000 [7]
Unnamed October 29 – 30, 1971 185 km/h (115 mph) 967 hPa (28.56 inHg) [8]
Unnamed September 8 – 9, 1972 205 km/h (125 mph) 957 hPa (28.26 inHg) [9]
Unnamed September 21 – 22, 1972 185 km/h (115 mph) 963 hPa (28.44 inHg) [9]
Unnamed October 21 – 23, 1975 185 km/h (115 mph) 967 hPa (28.56 inHg) [10]
Unnamed June 9 – 13, 1977 165 km/h (105 mph) 964 hPa (28.47 inHg) [11]
Unnamed November 17 – 18, 1977 165 km/h (105 mph) 974 hPa (28.76 inHg) [11]
Unnamed November 8 – 9, 1978 205 km/h (125 mph) 940 hPa (27.76 inHg) [12]
Unnamed May 11 – 12, 1979 205 km/h (125 mph) 936 hPa (27.64 inHg) [13]
BOB 01 May 3 – 5, 1982 215 km/h (130 mph) Not Specified Myanmar 5 Moderate [14]
BOB 02 June 3, 1982 165 km/h (105 mph) 952 hPa (28.11 inHg) [14]
ARB 15 November 8, 1982 165 km/h (105 mph) 962 hPa (28.41 inHg) India 341 Unknown [14]
BOB 06 November 8 – 9, 1983 165 km/h (105 mph) Not Specified [14]
BOB 05 November 12 – 14, 1984 215 km/h (130 mph) Not Specified India ≥430 Moderate [14][15]
BOB 06 November 30 – December 1, 1984 215 km/h (130 mph) 973 hPa (28.73 inHg) India, Somalia 0 Unknown [14]
BOB 07 November 17, 1988 205 km/h (125 mph) Not Specified [14]
"Bangladesh" November 25 – 29, 1988 215 km/h (130 mph) 955 hPa (28.20 inHg) Bangladesh, India 6,240 $13 million [14]
Forrest November 15 – 22, 1992 185 km/h (115 mph) 952 hPa (28.11 inHg) Bangladesh, Myanmar 2 Unknown [14][16][17][18]
BOB 02 December 1 – 4, 1993 165 km/h (105 mph) 968 hPa (28.59 inHg) India 70 $216 million [14][19][20]
"Bangladesh" April 26 – May 2, 1994 215 km/h (130 mph) 940 hPa (27.76 inHg) Bangladesh, Myanmar 350 $125 million [14][21][22][23]
BOB 07 November 21 – 25, 1995 190 km/h (115 mph) 956 hPa (28.23 inHg) Sumatra, Myanmar, Bangladesh 172 Unknown [14][24][25][26]
"Bangladesh" May 14 – 20, 1997 165 km/h (105 mph) 964 hPa (28.47 inHg) Bangladesh 1,146–1296 Significant [14][27][28]
"Gujarat" June 13 – 15, 1998 165 km/h (105 mph) 958 hPa (28.29 inHg) India 4,000–10,000 $3 billion [14][29][30][31]
"Pakistan" May 16 – 22, 1999 195 km/h (120 mph) 946 hPa (27.94 inHg) Pakistan 700 $6 million [14][32]
BOB 05 October 15 – 19, 1999 165 km/h (105 mph) 968 hPa (28.59 inHg) India >80 Unknown [14][32][33]
BOB 05 November 26 – 30, 2000 190 km/h (115 mph) 958 hPa (28.29 inHg) West India, Somalia 12 >$12 million [14][34][35]
"Sri Lanka" December 23 – 28, 2000 165 km/h (105 mph) 970 hPa (28.64 inHg) Sri Lanka, India 9 Minimal [36][37][34][14]
"India" May 21 – 28, 2001 215 km/h (130 mph) 932 hPa (27.52 inHg) Western India, Myanmar, Andaman Islands 900 Minimal [14][38]
"Myanmar" May 16 – 19, 2004 165 km/h (105 mph) 952 hPa (28.11 inHg) Myanmar 236 $99.2 million [14][39][40][41]
Mala April 24 – 30, 2006 185 km/h (115 mph) 954 hPa (28.17 inHg) Andaman Islands, Myanmar, Thailand 37 $6.7 million [14][42][43]
Sidr November 11 – 16, 2007 215 km/h (130 mph) 944 hPa (27.88 inHg) Bangladesh, West Bengal, Northeast India 15,000 $2.21 billion [14][44][45]
Nargis April 27 – May 3, 2008 165 km/h (105 mph) 962 hPa (28.41 inHg) Andaman Islands, Nicobar Islands, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Yunnan 138 373 $12.9 billion [14][46][47]
Giri October 20 – 23, 2010 195 km/h (120 mph) 950 hPa (28.05 inHg) Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Yunnan 157 $359 million [14]
Phailin October 8 – 14, 2013 215 km/h (130 mph) 940 hPa (27.76 inHg) Malay Peninsula, Andaman Islands, Nicobar Islands, India, Myanmar, Nepal 45 $4.26 billion [14]
Hudhud October 7 – 14, 2014 185 km/h (115 mph) 950 hPa (28.05 inHg) Andaman Islands, Nicobar Islands, India, Nepal 124 $3.58 billion [14]
Nilofar October 28 – 29, 2014 205 km/h (125 mph) 950 hPa (28.05 inHg) India, Pakistan 0 Minor [14]
Chapala October 30 – November 2, 2015 215 km/h (130 mph) 940 hPa (27.76 inHg) Oman, Somalia, Yemen 9 $100 million [14]
Megh November 8, 2015 175 km/h (110 mph) 964 hPa (28.47 inHg) Oman, Somalia, Yemen 18 Unknown [14]
Mekunu May 25, 2018 175 km/h (110 mph) 960 hPa (28.35 inHg) Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia 26 $1.5 billion [48]
Fani April 30 – May 3, 2019 215 km/h (130 mph) 932 hPa (27.52 inHg) Sumatra, Nicobar Islands, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan 89 $8.1 billion [49]
Maha October 30 – November 7, 2019 185 km/h (115 mph) 956 hPa (28.23 inHg) Sri Lanka, Southern India, Maldives, Western India, Oman 0 Minor
Tauktae May 14 – 19, 2021 195 km/h (120 mph) 950 hPa (28.05 inHg) Maldives, India, Pakistan 174 $1.57 billion [50]
Mocha May 9 –15, 2023 215 km/h (130 mph) 938 hPa (27.70 inHg) Bangladesh, Myanmar 463 $1.5 billion [51]
Biparjoy June 6  – 19, 2023 165 km/h (105 mph) 958 hPa (28.29 inHg) India, Pakistan 17 [52]

Climatology

Extremely severe cyclonic
storms by month.[53]
Month Number of storms
January
0
February
0
March
0
April
4
May
8
June
3
July
0
August
0
September
2
October
9
November
15
December
2
Extremely severe cyclonic
storms by decade.[53]
Decade Number of storms
1960s
2
1970s
8
1980s
8
1990s
8
2000s
7
2010s
8
2020s
1

See also

References

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