Cyclone Archives

A system tracked over the Bay of Bengal in September 2026, upgraded from a Well Marked Low Pressure Area to a Depression on 21 September and to a Deep Depression on 22 September. IMD has not forecast it to reach cyclonic-storm intensity.

Cyclonic Storm Ditwah formed over the southwest Bay of Bengal on 26 November 2025 and intensified from a depression to a cyclonic storm in under 24 hours before crossing Sri Lanka's eastern coast on 28 November. Its winds were only moderate (65-75 km/h at landfall), but the storm moved slowly, dropping prolonged, extreme rainfall that triggered severe flooding and landslides across Sri Lanka - the deadliest impact of any storm in this archive outside the 1999 Odisha cyclone and Nargis. A World Bank rapid damage assessment recorded 647 deaths, 183 people still missing, and over 4 billion US dollars in damage, with parts of southern India also placed under alert.

Cyclonic Storm Fengal formed over the Bay of Bengal in late November 2024 and made landfall near Puducherry on the evening of 30 November, with winds of 70-80 km/h gusting to 90 km/h. It then stalled over north coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry rather than weakening quickly inland, dropping record rainfall (over 48 cm in 24 hours in Puducherry, the highest in three decades) that caused most of the flooding damage. It killed at least 37 people across India and Sri Lanka combined.

Severe Cyclonic Storm Dana formed over the Bay of Bengal in late October 2024 and crossed the north Odisha coast between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra in the early hours of 25 October, with sustained winds of 110-120 km/h and gusts to 130 km/h. Mass evacuations along the Odisha coast ahead of landfall, plus a slow, five-hour landfall process, kept the death toll low relative to the storm's strength. Heavy rain also reached south Bengal.

Severe Cyclonic Storm Remal crossed the coast on the night of 26-27 May 2024 between Sagar Island in West Bengal and Khepupara in Bangladesh, close to Mongla, with winds of about 110 km/h. In Bangladesh more than 70,000 houses were destroyed and many more damaged, and Kolkata and the Sundarbans faced strong winds and storm surge.

Cyclone Mocha was one of the strongest cyclones to strike Myanmar. It made landfall near Sittwe in Rakhine State, close to the Myanmar-Bangladesh border, with devastating winds. The storm caused significant damage in Rakhine State and affected parts of northeastern India.

Severe Cyclonic Storm Michaung moved slowly along the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh coasts and crossed near Bapatla in Andhra Pradesh on 5 December 2023 with winds of 90-100 km/h. Its heavy rain, more than its wind, caused severe flooding, especially in and around Chennai, and the storm caused 17 deaths and about 1.32 billion US dollars in damage.

Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Biparjoy formed in the Arabian Sea on 6 June 2023 and lasted almost two weeks. It peaked as an Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm on 11 June and weakened to a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm before crossing the Kutch coast of Gujarat near Jakhau Port on 15 June with winds of 115-125 km/h. Large-scale evacuations were carried out along the Gujarat and Sindh coasts, and the storm caused 17 deaths.

Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Tauktae formed over the Arabian Sea on 14 May 2021 and moved north along India's west coast, bringing heavy rain and wind to Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra before crossing the Saurashtra coast of Gujarat, about 20 km northeast of Diu, on 17 May. It caused 174 deaths, with a further 81 people missing, many of them crew of offshore vessels off Mumbai.

Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Yaas formed in the Bay of Bengal on 23 May 2021 and crossed the Odisha coast north of Dhamra, about 50 km south of Balasore, on the morning of 26 May with winds of 130-140 km/h. Sea flooding and heavy rain hit low-lying coastal areas of Odisha and West Bengal, and the storm caused 20 deaths.

Super Cyclonic Storm Amphan was the strongest tropical cyclone to strike the Ganges Delta since Sidr in 2007 and the first super cyclonic storm to occur in the Bay of Bengal since the 1999 Odisha cyclone. Despite occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities successfully evacuated over 3 million people.

Super Cyclonic Storm Kyarr matched Cyclone Gonu (2007) as the strongest tropical cyclone on record in the Arabian Sea by IMD sustained winds (240 km/h). It intensified over open waters and did not make landfall, causing minimal damage. Kyarr demonstrated the increasing intensity of cyclones in the Arabian Sea.

Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Fani was notable for its unusual northward track along India's east coast. The Odisha government's massive evacuation effort - moving 1.2 million people to safety - was praised internationally. The storm devastated Puri and surrounding areas.

Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Titli made landfall near Palasa in Andhra Pradesh, close to the Odisha border, in the early hours of 11 October 2018 with sustained winds of 140-150 km/h. Heavy rain and flooding after landfall caused most of the damage across northern Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, damaging more than 127,000 houses.

Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Gaja crossed the Tamil Nadu coast between Nagapattinam and Vedaranyam in the early hours of 16 November 2018 with winds of 120-140 km/h. The delta districts of Tamil Nadu suffered heavy damage to homes, coconut groves and crops, and around 250,000 people were displaced. Government records list 45 deaths, against 52 in international tallies.

Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Ockhi developed from a depression in the southern Bay of Bengal on 29 November 2017, crossed Sri Lanka, brushed southern Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and strengthened over the Arabian Sea near Lakshadweep. Many fishermen were at sea when it struck. International tallies list 318 deaths and 141 missing, while the Ministry of Home Affairs told Parliament that 365 people died, making it India's deadliest cyclone since 1999.

Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Vardah made landfall near Chennai, causing significant damage to infrastructure and uprooting thousands of trees. The storm affected power supply and telecommunications across Tamil Nadu.

Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Hudhud caused extensive damage to Visakhapatnam and surrounding areas. The storm's powerful winds and storm surge led to significant infrastructure damage and power outages affecting millions.

Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Phailin was one of the strongest cyclones to hit India. Thanks to lessons learned from the 1999 cyclone, casualties were kept remarkably low. Nearly 1 million people were evacuated, and the disaster response was considered a model for other countries.

Cyclone Nargis was the most destructive cyclone in Myanmar's history. The storm surge devastated Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta. While not directly hitting India, it demonstrated the catastrophic potential of cyclones when warning systems and evacuation infrastructure are inadequate.

Super Cyclonic Storm Gonu was the first Category 5 equivalent tropical cyclone in the Arabian Sea. By IMD sustained winds (240 km/h) it is one of the two strongest cyclones on record in the Arabian Sea, level with Cyclone Kyarr in 2019. Gonu caused extensive damage in Oman and Iran.

The 1999 Odisha Super Cyclone was the strongest recorded tropical cyclone in the North Indian Ocean and one of the most destructive. The massive loss of life led to a complete overhaul of India's cyclone warning and disaster management systems. It was a turning point that led to the creation of better infrastructure and evacuation protocols.