10 Deadliest Storms To Have Hit India, Including Odisha’s 1999 Supercyclone

The deadliest cyclonic storms to have hit India since the Odisha cyclone of 1999.

1. Cyclone Phyan – 2009: Cyclone Phyan emerged into the Arabian Sea and caused heavy rainfall in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Gujarat. Phyan was one of the wettest cyclones in India and brought extremely heavy rainfall over the coasts of Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra. Some reports said about 20 lives were lost.

2. Cyclone Nilam – 2012: Cyclone Nilam was one of the deadliest tropical cyclones in India, originating from an area of Bay of Bengal in South India. The heavy rains and strong winds affected Chennai Port in Tamil Nadu and New Port railway station in Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh. It claimed around 10 lives.

3. Cyclone Helen – 2013: Cyclone Helen brought heavy rainfall in eastern India and became a severe cyclonic storm. It had primarily affected Andhra Pradesh. It snuffed away seven lives.

4. Cyclone Phailin – 2013: Cyclone Phailin was the second strongest tropical cyclone in India since the 1999 Odisha cyclone. It resulted in heavy rainfall in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand.

The cyclone triggered India’s biggest evacuation drive in 23 years as over 5,50,000 people were moved from the coastal to interior and safer regions. About 44 people reportedly lost their lives.

5. Cyclone Hudhud – 2014: Cyclone Hudhud was a strong tropical cyclone that caused damage to Visakhapatnam city in Andhra Pradesh. Odisha too was affected by Hudhud. A total of 61 people lost their lives in AP.

6. Cyclone Vardah – 2016: Cyclone Vardah brought heavy rainfall to Andaman and Nicobar Islands and then crossed the eastern coast of India and affected Chennai, Kancheepuram and Visakhapatnam. In Chennai alone, 10 people had lost their lives.

7. Cyclone Ockhi – 2017: Cyclone Ockhi was the most intense and one of the strongest tropical cyclones in the North Indian Ocean. Ockhi from the Arabian Sea affected mainland India along with coastal areas of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. The death toll stood at 245 in India and 27 in Sri Lanka.

8. Cyclone Titli – 2018: Very severe cyclonic storm Titli was part of the 2018 North Indian Ocean cyclone season and made landfall between Odisha’s Gopalpur and Srikakulam of Andhra Pradesh. Over three lakh people were evacuated along the sea coast.

9. Cyclone Gaja – 2018: Cyclone Gaja hit the Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and some parts of coastal Puducherry with heavy rainfall in Cuddalore and Pamban. At least 45 people were killed and about 2,50,000 people were evacuated to relief camps in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

10. The 1999 Odisha Cyclone: The Strongest weather system to have hit the Indian coast. It was described as a “supercyclone” and had claimed over 10,000 lives. The cyclone marked a turning point in disaster preparedness.