List of super cyclonic storms

Super cyclonic storm is the highest category used by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to classify tropical cyclones, within the North Indian Ocean tropical cyclone basin between the Malay Peninsula and the Arabian Peninsula. Within the basin, a super cyclonic storm is defined as a tropical cyclone that has 3-minute mean maximum sustained wind speeds of at least 120 knots (220 km/h; 140 mph). The category was formally introduced during the 1999 season alongside Very Severe Cyclonic Storms, in order to replace the previously used Severe Cyclonic Storm with Core of Hurricane Winds. There have been at least nine storms that have attained such an intensity. The most recent super cyclonic storm was Cyclone Amphan in 2020 North Indian Ocean cyclone season.

Satellite image of the 1999 Odisha cyclone making landfall on eastern India as one of the most intense tropical cyclones in North Indian Ocean

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][2] The basin is officially monitored by the India Meteorological Department's Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre in New Delhi.[1][2] Within the basin a Super Cyclonic Storm is defined as a tropical cyclone, that has 3-minute mean maximum sustained wind speeds of at least 120 knots (220 km/h; 140 mph).[1][2] The category was introduced during 1999 alongside Very Severe Cyclonic Storms in order, to replace the previously used Severe Cyclonic Storm with Core of Hurricane Winds..[2] Should a Super Cyclonic Storm impact land at or near its peak intensity, then it is expected to cause large scale flooding and extensive structural damage to residential and industrial buildings as well as bridges.[3] It is also expected to disrupt communications and the power supply as well as large-scale disruption to rail and road traffic.[3]

Systems

Name	Dates as a super cyclonic storm[nb 1]	Duration	Sustained wind speeds	Pressure	Areas affected	Deaths	Damage (USD)[nb 2]	Refs
"Calcutta"	October 1737	Not Specified	Not Specified	Not Specified	West Bengal	300,000	Unknown	[4]
Great Backerganj	October 29 - November 1, 1876	Not Specified	220 km/h (140 mph)	Not Specified		200,000	Unknown	[5]
Odisha	September 1885	Not Specified	Not Specified	919 hPa (27.14 inHg)	Odisha	5,000	Unknown	[4]
Rameswaram	December 8, 1964	Not Specified	240 km/h (150 mph)	970 hPa (28.64 inHg)	Sri Lanka, India	1,800	$150 million	[6]
Unnamed	May 9 - 10, 1968	1 day	220 km/h (140 mph)	953 hPa (28.14 inHg)	Burma	1,000		[7]
Andhra Pradesh	November 18 - 19, 1977	1 day	230 km/h (145 mph)	943 hPa (27.85 inHg)				[8]
Unnamed	November 23 - 24, 1978	1 day	220 km/h (140 mph)	938 hPa (27.70 inHg)				[9]
Gay	November 1989	Not Specified	230 km/h (145 mph)	930 hPa (27.46 inHg)	Thailand, Myanmar, India
Andhra Pradesh	May 8, 1990	18 hours	235 km/h (146 mph)	920 hPa (27.17 inHg)	India	967	$600 million	[10]
Bangladesh	April 29, 1991	1 day	235 km/h (146 mph)	918 hPa (27.11 inHg)	Bangladesh, Northeastern India, Myanmar	138,866	$1.7 billion	[11]
Odisha	October 28 - 29, 1999	18 hours	260 km/h (161 mph)	912 hPa (26.93 inHg)	Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India	9,887	$4.44 billion	[12]
Gonu	June 6, 2007	6 hours	235 km/h (146 mph)	920 hPa (27.17 inHg)	Oman, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Pakistan	78	$4.44 billion	[13]
Kyarr	October 27 - 29, 2019	2 days 3 hours	240 km/h (150 mph)	922 hPa (27.23 inHg)	Western India, Oman, United Arab Emirates Socotra, Somalia			[14]
Amphan	May 18 - 19, 2020	1 day	240 km/h (150 mph)	920 hPa (27.17 inHg)	Sri Lanka, Eastern India, Bangladesh	128	$14.3 billion

Climatology

Super cyclonic storms by month.[15]

Month	Number of storms
April	1
May	3
June	1
September	1
October	3
November	3
December	1

Super cyclonic storms by decade.[15]

Period	Number of storms
Pre-1960's	2
1960's	2
1970s	2
1980s	1
1990s	3
2000s	1
2010s	1
2020s	1

See also

• List of Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes
• List of Category 5 Pacific hurricanes
• List of very intense tropical cyclones

Notes

1. Dates are given in Coordinated Universal Time.
2. All damage values are in USD of their respective years.

References

1. RA I Tropical Cyclone Committee. Tropical Cyclone Operational Plan for the Tropical Cyclone Operational Plan for the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea 2019 (PDF) (Report). World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
2. Best track data of tropical cyclonic disturbances over the north Indian Ocean (PDF) (Report). India Meteorological Department. July 14, 2009. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
3. http://www.rsmcnewdelhi.imd.gov.in/images/pdf/cyclone-awareness/damage-potential-cyclone/damage.pdf
4. "Historical records of 12 most devastating cyclones, which formed in the Bay of Bengal and made landfall on the East coast of India". National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project. Archived from the original on June 5, 2010. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
5. SMRC-No.1 – The impact of tropical cyclones on the coastal regions of SAARC countries and their influence in the region, SAARC Meteorological Research Center (SMRC),1998.
6. Kulshrestha, Shashi M; Gupta, Madan G (June 1966). "Satellite Study of the Rameswaram Cyclonic Storm of 20–23 December 1964". Journal of Applied Meteorology. 5 (3): 373–376. Bibcode:1966JApMe...5..373K. doi:10.1175/1520-0450(1966)005<0373:SSOTRC>2.0.CO;2.
7. India Weather Review Annual Summary — Part-C: Storms and Depressions 1968 (PDF) (Report). India Meteorological Department. 1969. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
8. Pant, P S; Ramakrishnan, A R; Jamdunathan, R. "Cyclones and Depressions over the Indian Seas in 1977" (PDF). Mausam. 31 (3): 337–356.
9. Srinivasan, V; Ramakrishnan, A R; Jamdunathan, R. "Cyclones and Depressions over the Indian Seas in 1978" (PDF). Mausam. 31 (4): 495–506.
10. "2. Pre Monsoon Season Cyclonic Disturbances". Report on Cyclonic Disturbances (Depressions and Tropical Cyclones) over North Indian Ocean in 1990 (PDF) (Report). India Meteorological Department. January 1991. pp. 3–18. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 15, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
11. Bangladesh Cyclone, April 24-30 1991 (PDF) (Report on Cyclonic Disturbances (Depressions and Tropical Cyclones) over North Indian Ocean in 1991). India Meteorological Department. January 1992. p. 4. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
12. Report on Cyclonic Disturbances Over North Indian Ocean During 1999 (PDF) (Report). India Meteorological Department. February 2000. pp. 50–64. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
13. Report on Cyclonic Disturbances over North Indian Ocean during 2007 (PDF) (Report). January 2008. Archived from the original on November 26, 2008. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
14. http://www.rsmcnewdelhi.imd.gov.in/images/pdf/publications/preliminary-report/kyarr.pdf
15. "Monthly and annual frequency of SuCS (Max wind 120 knots or more) over NIO during 1965-2018" (xls). India Meteorological Department. Retrieved May 8, 2020.