North Indian Ocean Tropical Cyclones from 2010 to 2022: Loss of Economy, Fatalities and Regions affected
As we all know
the weather disaster has increased progressively in the last century. If we
focus on factors, there are two sets of factors that contribute to global weather-related
disasters. The first correlated set of factors is ocean heat level, tropical
cyclone, sea-level rise, increasing storm intensity, higher precipitation rate,
frequency of intense cyclones, and surge flooding. Second, the population density
and urbanization vulnerability specifically in coastal cities and in small
islands in developing countries with disproportionate risk calculation. The
socioeconomic incongruity, damaged ecosystem health, and unplanned fragile
infrastructures can be the other considerable reasons.
The bitter truth
is the public health hazards and their consequences after a cyclone will continue
if some robust solutions are not followed to mitigate and adapt these progressive
risk dynamics.
Tropical and
Temperate Cyclones
Whenever we heard Cyclone, we imagine fatalities and property damage, and that’s true!
Both Tropical and Temperate cyclones are powerful storm winds that can sustain for hours to days and push the ocean waters creating storm surges and potential floods over an area. In some countries, cyclones can create agitated hurricane movements and can be formed into potential Typhoons, Tornadoes, and Twisters. Tropical cyclones can occur only in the summer months in areas with high temperatures and very low pressure, which causes an imbalance of the natural climate causing an increase of the sea level water temperature beyond 26 degrees centigrade and with a high relative humidity beyond 700m. The temperate cyclones can occur any time of the year as they follow the frontal weather systems.
Most Dreaded North Indian Ocean Tropical Cyclones from 2010 to 2022
The North Indian Ocean cyclone season is the most dynamic type of cyclone
season in the North Indian Ocean. The two main oceans in the region are the Arabian
sea and the Bay of Bengal. The meteorological data of the region are mostly analyzed
officially by India Meteorological Department (IMD). The season sees 8
depressions and 5 types of storms mostly in between the months of April and
June, and October and December.
IMD categorized the severity of cyclonic storms broadly into 7 categories
considering the causing factor as wind speed (WS), Depression (WS 31-50 km/hr), Deep Depression (WS
51-62 km/hr), Cyclonic storm (WS 63-88 km/hr), Severe Cyclonic Storm (89-117 km/hr),
Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (WS 118-165 km/hr), Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm (WS 166-
220 km/hr) and Super Cyclonic Storm (WS ≥ 221 km/hr).
The Table below can give you an idea of the most affected cyclones from
2010 to 2022 considering the categorization done by IMD; severity, damage to the economy,
and deaths ported as the three important factors.
Table: The cyclonic storm details from 2010-2022.
Year Name of Cyclone Dates of occurrence Category as per IMD Countries and areas
affected Death cases Economical losses (in $) 2010 Laila May
17-May 21 Severe
Cyclonic Storm Sri
Lanka, India 65 117
million Phet May 31-June
7 Very Severe
Cyclonic Storm Oman,
Pakistan, India 47 861 million Giri Oct
20-Oct 23 Extremely
Severe Cyclonic Storm Bangladesh,
Myanmar, Thailand, Yunnan 167 359
million Jal Nov 1-Nov 8 Severe
Cyclonic Storm Thailand,
Malaysia, Andaman Islands, India 117 1.73
billion 2011 BOB 01 Feb
2- Feb 3 Depression Sri
Lanka 18 297
million BOB 04 Oct 19-Oct
20 Deep Depression Bangladesh,
Myanmar 215 1.64
million Keila Oct
29- Nov 4 Cyclonic
Storm Oman,
Yemen 14 80
million Thane Dec 25-Dec
31 Very Severe
Cyclonic Storm India 46 275 million 2012 Nilam Oct
28-Nov 1 Cyclonic
storm Sri
Lanka, India 75 56.7
million 2013 Viyaru May 10-May 17 Cyclonic
Storm Indonesia,
Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar ARB 01 Nov
8-Nov 11 Deep
Depression Somalia,
Ethiopia 162 NA Phailin Oct 8-Oct14 Extremely
Severe Cyclonic Storm Malay
Peninsula, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India, Myanmar, Nepal 45 4.26 billion Helen Nov
19-Nov23 Severe
Cyclonic Storm India 11 796
million 2014 Land 02 Aug 4-Aug 7 Deep
depression India,
Bangladesh 47 NA Hudhud Oct
7-Oct 14 Extremely
severe cyclonic storm Andaman
and Nicobar Islands, India, Visakhapatnam, Nepal 124 3.58
billion Nilofar Oct 25-Oct
31 Extremely
severe cyclonic storm India,
Pakistan 0 NA 2015 ARB 02 Jun
22-Jun 24 Deep
depression West
India 81 260
million Komen Jul 26-Aug
2 Cyclonic
storm Bangladesh,
Myanmar, Northeastern India 187 678 million Chapala Oct
28-Nov 4 Extremely
severe cyclonic storm Oman,
Somalia, Yemen 8 ≥ 100 million Megh Nov 5-Nov
10 Extremely
severe cyclonic storm Oman,
Somalia, Yemen 18 NA BOB 03 Nov
8-Nov10 Deep
depression South
India, Sri Lanka 71 NA 2016 Roanu May 17-May
22 Cyclonic
storm Sri Lanka,
East coast of India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Yunnan 135 2.03
billion BOB 04 Nov
2-Nov 6 Depression Malaysia,
Thailand, India (West Bengal), Bangladesh 80 NA Vardah Dec 6-dec
13 Very severe
cyclonic storm Sumatra,
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India 47 3.37
billion 2017 Marutha Apr
15-Apr 17 Cyclonic
storm Myanmar,
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Thailand, Yunnan 4 23,400 Mora May 28-May
31 Severe
Cyclonic Storm Sri Lanka,
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, East India, Northeast
India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan, Tibet 135 297 million BOB 03 Jun
11-Jun13 Deep
depression Northeast
India, Bangladesh 170 223 million BOB 04 Jul 18-Jul 19 Depression Orissa,
Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh 7 34 million Land 01 Jul
26-Jul 27 Depression West
Bengal, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh 152 2.18 million Ockhi Nov 29-Dec
6 Very severe
cyclonic storm Sri Lanka,
India, Maldives 318 920 million 2018 Sagar May
16-May 20 Cyclonic
storm Yemen,
Horn of Africa 79 30 million Mekunu May 21-May
27 Severe
Cyclonic Storm Yemen,
Oman, Saudi Arabia 31 1.5 billion Luban Oct
6-Oct 15 Very
severe cyclonic storm Yemen,
Oman 14 1
billion Titli Oct 8-Oct
12 Very severe
cyclonic storm India (Andhra
Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Bangladesh) 89 920 million Gaja Nov
10-Nov 19 Very
severe cyclonic storm Andaman
Islands, Tamil Nadu (India), Sri Lanka 52 775 miilion Phethai Dec 13-Dec
17 Severe
Cyclonic Storm India (East
and Northeast) 8 100 million 2019 Pabuk Jan
4-Jan 7 Cyclonic
storm Thailand,
Myanmar, Andaman Islands 8 156
million Fani Apr 26-May
4 Extremely
severe cyclonic storm Sumatra,
Nicobar Islands, Sri Lanka, East India, Bangladesh, Bhutan 89 8.1 billion Vayu Jun
10-Jun 17 Very
severe cyclonic storm Northern
Maldives, India, Southern Pakistan, East Oman 8 140,000 Bulbul Nov 5-Nov
11 Very severe
cyclonic storm Myanmar,
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Eastern India, Bangladesh 41 3.37
billion ARB 07 Dec
3-Dec 5 Deep
depression Tamil
Nadu 25 NA 2020 Amphan May 16-May
21 Super
Cyclonic Storm India (West
Bengal, Odisha), Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan 128 13.6 billion Nisarga Jun
1-Jun 4 Very
severe cyclonic storm Maharashtra,
Goa 6 803
million BOB 02 Oct 11-Oct
14 Deep
depression India (Andhra
Pradesh, Puducherry, Telangana, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra) 98 681 million Gati Nov
21-Nov 24 Very
severe cyclonic storm Somalia,
Yemen, Djibouti 9 1
million Nivar Nov 23- Nov
27 Very severe
cyclonic storm Sri Lanka, India
(Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry) 14 600 million Burevi Nov
30-Dec 5 Cyclonic
Storm Sri
Lanka, India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala) 11 NA 2021 Taukate May 14-May
19 Extremely
severe cyclonic storm India (Delhi,
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Goa, Lakshadweep, Maldives,
Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Sindh, Sri Lanka, and West states) 174 2.1 billion Yass May
23-May 28 Very
severe cyclonic storm Andaman
and Nicobar Islands, Bangladesh, India (East India and Uttar Pradesh), Nepal 20 2.84
billion Gulab Sep 24-Sep
28 Cyclonic
Storm India (Andhra
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana) 20 269 million Shaheen Sep
30-Oct 4 Severe
Cyclonic Storm Balochistan,
Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Sindh, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, India (Gujarat) 14 100
million BOB 05 Nov 10-Nov
12 Depression India (Andhra
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala), Sri Lanka 41 NA 2022 Asani May
7-May 12 Severe
Cyclonic Storm Andaman
and Nicobar Islands, India (Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Odisha) 3 NA
The Must-Read
Facts:
1970 Bhola
Cyclone: The fatal cyclone recorded the deaths of 500, 000 people. It occurred in Bangladesh, the Ganga-Brahmaputra Delta region in the year 1970.
1999 Odisha
Cyclone: Most intense and strongest Tropical cyclone occurred in Odisha,
India in the year 1999. The wind speed
was around 260 m/hr with a low barometric pressure of 912 mbar or 26.93 in Hg. The cyclone reported 9887 fatalities in the state and damage to $4.44 billion economies.
Amphan:
The costliest cyclone in terms of loss of economy and damages. The loss was around
$13.6 billion with 128 reported deaths. It occurred in India (West Bengal,
Odisha), Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan in May 2020 and was declared a Super
Cyclonic Storm by IMD.
Ockhi: The
very severe cyclonic storm was the hazardous one causing 318 fatalities in Sri
Lanka, India, and the Maldives in the year 2017. It caused damage worth $920
million.
Fani: The
cyclone was declared an Extremely Severe Cyclonic storm in Apr 2019 causing damage worth $8.1 billion and reporting 89 deaths. The cyclone was the worst hit
in the area of Sumatra, Nicobar Islands, Sri Lanka, East India, Bangladesh, and
Bhutan.
