Odisha

Odisha’s Tryst With 9 Cyclones Since 1999

By
OB Bureau

Bhubaneswar: Cyclonic storm Jawad was about 250 km southeast of Vishakhapatnam, 360 km south of Gopalpur, 430 km south-southwest of Puri and 510 km south-southwest of Paradip, according to the latest India Meteorological Department (IMD) bulletin issued on Saturday morning.

This is the ninth cyclone to cross the Odisha coast since 1999.

Before the 1999 Super Cyclone that left a trail of destruction behind it, the last cyclone about which there is some detailed information is that of October 1971 in the district of Balasore which claimed thousands of lives and left lakhs of people homeless.

Here are some of the deadliest cyclonic storms since 1999:

  1. Cyclone Phailin (2013): Cyclone Phailin made landfall near Gopalpur on October 12, 2013, at 9 pm. It was the second strongest tropical cyclone in India since the 1999 Odisha cyclone, bringing winds of 140 mph and torrential rain that toppled trees and power lines along 250 miles of the Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coastlines.
  2. Cyclone Hudhud (2014): Cyclone Hudhud was a strong tropical cyclone that caused damage to Visakhapatnam city in Andhra Pradesh. The very severe cyclone made landfall at Kailasagiri near Visakhapatanam at 11.30 am on October 12, 2014. Odisha too was affected by Hudhud. A total of 61 people lost their lives in Andhra Pradesh.
  3. Cyclone Titli (2018): Very severe cyclonic storm Titli was part of the 2018 North Indian Ocean cyclone season. With gusts of up to 165 kmph, it made landfall in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh. More than 3,00,000 people were evacuated in Odisha, operations at Paradip port were suspended and several trains and flights were cancelled. Gajapati suffered extensive damage.
  4. Cyclone Fani (2019): Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Fani was the first severe cyclonic storm of 2019, and also the strongest tropical cyclone to hit Odisha since 1999. Fani reached its peak intensity on May 2, 2019, as a high-end Category 4 major hurricane, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 209-251 kmph. A day later, it made landfall at Puri, Odisha, and weakened into a Category 1-equivalent ‘very severe’ cyclonic storm soon after.
  5. Cyclone Bulbul (2019): Bulbul led to Odisha suffering agricultural damage, with 490,000 acres worth of crops destroyed state-wide. It tracked northwards in the Bay of Bengal, and it finally made landfall near Sagar Island in West Bengal as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm on November 9, 2019, causing extremely heavy rainfall and winds of up to 135 km/h across southern West Bengal. Bulbul directly affected 35 lakh people in West Bengal.
  6. Cyclone Amphan (2020): The powerful tropical cyclone led to the destruction of lives and property in Odisha and West Bengal. It made landfall near Bakkhali in West Bengal at 2:30 pm on May 20. Cyclone Amphan was the first pre-monsoon super cyclone of this century that emerged from the Bay of Bengal.
  7. Cyclone BOB 03 (2020): A depression was formed in the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Meteorological Department named it BOB 03. The very next day after the identification, the BOB 03 hit the north Odisha-West Bengal coastline and caused huge destruction of lives and property.
  8. Cyclone Gulab (2021): Cyclone Gulab crossed the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh coast on September 26. Odisha suffered little damage as the cyclonic storm crossed its southern districts, causing widespread rain. The remnants of Cyclone Gulab formed into Cyclone Shaheen, in a unique weather phenomenon. The name Shaheen was given by Qatar. Gulab was proposed by Pakistan.
OB Bureau

Recent Posts

OHRC Seeks Report From Odisha Govt On Mango Kernel Deaths In Kandhamal

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) has sent notices to Secretaries of Food &…

November 7, 2024

Why Are Kartik Aaryan’s Parents Scared Of Bollywood?

New Delhi: Even as his recently-released horror comedy ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ continues to mint money…

November 7, 2024

How Delhi Police Cracked Gangrape Of Odisha Researcher; Cop In Guise Of Social Worker, Footage Of 700 CCTVs

New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: After over 20 days of investigation and analysing more than 700 CCTV cameras,…

November 7, 2024

‘No Notification Exists’: HC Closes Plea Against 1988 Ban On Salman Rushdie’s ‘The Satanic Verses’

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has closed proceedings on a petition challenging the Rajiv…

November 7, 2024

Criticised For Touching His Wife’s Feet, Vikrant Massey Gives It Back To Trollers

Mumbai: ‘12th Fail’ actor Vikrant Massey recently got trolled after pictures of him touching his…

November 7, 2024

Threat Call: Was Shah Rukh Khan Targeted For His Deer-Hunting Dialogue In ‘Anjaam’?

Mumbai: Mumbai Police swung into action immediately after Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan received a…

November 7, 2024

[Watch] Snowfall In Desert For The First Time!

Dubai: The effects of global climate change are being seen in various manifestations across the globe.…

November 7, 2024

Police Case Against Websites Selling T-Shirts With Photos Of Dawood, Bishnoi

Mumbai: When criminals are idolised and used for commercial purposes, police are bound to take action.…

November 7, 2024