Super Cyclones

The India Meteorological Department calls a cyclone a Super Cyclonic Storm when its sustained winds (3-minute average) reach 222 km/h or more. This page lists every storm in our archive that crossed that line, and the ones that stopped within 15 km/h of it.

Wind speed vs the 222 km/h mark

Odisha Super Cyclone 1999260 km/h Amphan 2020240 km/h Kyarr 2019240 km/h Gonu 2007240 km/h Mocha 2023215 km/h Fani 2019215 km/h Phailin 2013215 km/h

The vertical line marks 222 km/h.

Direct hits on India (2)

Super Cyclones that made landfall on the Indian coast, by year. A storm can reach 222 km/h over the sea and still weaken before it crosses the coast, so the table shows both the peak wind and the wind at landfall.

Year	Cyclone	Landfall	Date	Peak wind	Wind at landfall
1999	Odisha Super Cyclone	Near Paradip, Odisha	1999-10-29	260 km/h	260 km/hSuper at landfall
2020	Amphan	Near Bakkhali, Sundarbans, West Bengal	2020-05-20	240 km/h	165 km/hWeakened before landfall

Not counted as India hits: Gonu (2007) - landfall in Oman; Kyarr (2019) - no landfall.

Our Methodology

Our analysis follows the India Meteorological Department's classification system for tropical cyclones:

Depression (D) - 31-49 km/h

Deep Depression (DD) - 50-61 km/h

Cyclonic Storm (CS) - 62-88 km/h

Severe Cyclonic Storm (SCS) - 89-117 km/h

Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (VSCS) - 118-166 km/h

Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm (ESCS) - 167-221 km/h

Super Cyclonic Storm (SuCS) - ≥222 km/h

Crossed the mark (4)

LandfallNear Paradip, Odisha

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.

LandfallNear Bakkhali, Sundarbans, West Bengal

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.

West BengalOdishaBangladesh

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.

Western IndiaOmanPakistan

LandfallRas al Hadd, Oman

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.

Western IndiaOmanUnited Arab Emirates+2

Just short of the mark (3)

7 km/h short of 222

Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm

LandfallNear Sittwe, Rakhine, Myanmar

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.

MyanmarBangladeshIndia (Mizoram, Tripura, Assam)

7 km/h short of 222

Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm

LandfallNear Puri, Odisha

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.

OdishaWest BengalAndhra Pradesh+1

7 km/h short of 222

Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm

LandfallNear Gopalpur, Odisha

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.

OdishaAndhra Pradesh