Admin Team
19 May

CYCLONES, HURRICANES & TYPHOONS IN NEWS — CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE NOTES

CYCLONES NAMED BY WMO PANEL COUNTRIES

Cyclone / HurricaneRegion AffectedApprox. YearNamed ByImportant Notes
Bhola CycloneBangladesh region1970Deadliest tropical cyclone in recorded history
Cyclone PhailinOdisha & Andhra Coast~2013ThailandVery severe Bay of Bengal cyclone
Cyclone KomenWest Bengal, Odisha, Northeast India~2015ThailandHeavy floods across eastern India
Cyclone LailaBay of Bengal regionEarlier decadePakistanSevere cyclonic storm
Cyclone FaniOdisha Coast2019BangladeshExtremely severe cyclone
Cyclone BulbulBay of Bengal2019PakistanAffected India & Bangladesh
Cyclone MahaGujarat Coast / Arabian Sea~2020OmanArabian Sea cyclone
Cyclone AmphanSundarban Delta2020ThailandOne of strongest Bay of Bengal cyclones
Cyclone NargisMyanmar regionEarlier decadePakistanExtremely destructive cyclone
Cyclone OkhiSri Lanka & South IndiaEarlier yearsBangladeshAffected Tamil Nadu & Kerala fishermen
Cyclone GajaTamil Nadu Coast2018Sri LankaSevere damage in TN
Cyclone YaasNortheast India & Bay of Bengal~2021OmanAffected Odisha & West Bengal
Cyclone TauktaeGujarat & Maharashtra Coast~2021YemenMajor Arabian Sea cyclone
Cyclone MoraNortheast India regionEarlier yearsThailandHeavy rainfall & flooding
Cyclone AsaniAndhra Pradesh Coast~2022Sri LankaBay of Bengal cyclone
Cyclone SitrangBangladesh & Bay of Bengal Coast~2022ThailandSevere flooding impacts
Cyclone MandousTamil Nadu Coast~2022UAEHeavy rainfall over South India
Cyclone MochaBangladesh & Myanmar Coast2023YemenExtremely severe cyclonic storm
Cyclone BiparjoyArabian Sea & Western India Coast2023BangladeshLong-duration Arabian Sea cyclone
Cyclone MichaungBay of Bengal / Chennai region2023MyanmarSevere flooding in Chennai
Cyclone TejArabian Sea to Yemen2023IndiaArabian Sea cyclone
Cyclone HamoonBay of Bengal to Bangladesh2023IranBay cyclone affecting Bangladesh
Cyclone FreddyIndian Ocean Basin to Africa2023One of longest-lasting tropical cyclones
Cyclone JasperQueensland, Australia2023Damage near Great Barrier Reef
Cyclone KirrilyQueensland, AustraliaJan 2024Second cyclone after Jasper
Cyclone MeganGulf of Carpentaria, Australia2024Wind gusts up to 155 kmph
Cyclone HidayaTanzania / Mafia IslandMay 2024Indian Ocean cyclone near East Africa
Cyclone Yagi / YaagiSouth China SeaSept 2024JapanWestern Pacific tropical cyclone
Cyclone AsnaKutch CoastSept 2024PakistanArabian Sea system
Cyclone DanaOdisha Coast2024QatarBay of Bengal cyclone
Cyclone FengalRegional tropical waters2024Saudi ArabiaWMO-listed cyclone name
Tropical Cyclone ChidoMayotte, Indian OceanRecentSevere destruction in island region
Hurricane JohnMexico Pacific CoastRecentPacific hurricane
Hurricane MiltonAtlantic OceanRecentMajor Atlantic hurricane
Hurricane MelissaJamaica / Atlantic Region2025Category 5 Atlantic hurricane with ERI

CYCLONE NAMES & COUNTRIES

CountryCyclone Names Submitted
BangladeshFani, Biparjoy, Okhi
JapanYagi / Yaagi
OmanRemal, Yaas, Maha
PakistanAsna, Bulbul, Nargis, Laila
QatarDana
Saudi ArabiaFengal
Sri LankaAsani, Gaja
ThailandAmphan, Sitrang, Mora, Phailin, Komen
UAEMandous
YemenMocha, Tauktae
IndiaTej
IranHamoon

DIFFERENT TERMS USED FOR TROPICAL CYCLONES

TermRegion
CycloneIndian Ocean & South Pacific
HurricaneAtlantic Ocean & Eastern Pacific
TyphoonWestern Pacific Ocean
Willy-WillyAustralia region
Tropical CycloneGeneric scientific term

TYPHOONS IN ASIA

TyphoonRegion AffectedKey Impacts
Typhoon PodulTaiwanTransport disruptions & severe storms
Typhoon KalmaegiVietnamFatalities, flooding, power outages
Typhoon Fung-wongPhilippinesEvacuation of over 9 lakh people

HURRICANE MELISSA — IMPORTANT POINTS

AspectDetails
RegionAtlantic Ocean / Jamaica
Year2025
Peak Wind Speed~296 kmph
CategoryCategory 5 Hurricane
Main FeatureExtreme Rapid Intensification (ERI)
Ocean Temperature~2°C above normal
Rainfall ProjectionNearly 100 cm in parts of Jamaica
Associated HazardsStorm surge, flooding, landslides
Major ImportanceClimate change linkage with stronger hurricanes

EXTREME RAPID INTENSIFICATION (ERI)

TypeDefinition
Rapid Intensification (RI)Increase of ≥56 kmph within 24 hours
Extreme Rapid Intensification (ERI)Increase of ≥92 kmph within 24 hours
Hurricane MelissaIntensified by ~112 kmph within 24 hours

CYCLONE CLASSIFICATION (IMD)

CategoryWind Speed
Depression31–49 km/h
Deep Depression50–61 km/h
Cyclonic Storm62–88 km/h
Severe Cyclonic Storm89–117 km/h
Very Severe Cyclonic Storm118–165 km/h
Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm166–220 km/h
Super Cyclonic Storm≥221 km/h

SAFFIR–SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE

CategoryWind Speed
Category 1119–153 km/h
Category 2154–177 km/h
Category 3178–208 km/h
Category 4209–251 km/h
Category 5≥252 km/h

INDIA’S METEOROLOGICAL MODERNISATION

Bharat Forecast System (BFS)

FeatureDetails
DeveloperIITM Pune
Operational AgencyIMD
Resolution6 km grid
Computing SystemsArka & Arunika
Improvement64% better forecasting

Uses

  • Cyclone forecasting
  • Heatwave prediction
  • Flood forecasting
  • Panchayat-level alerts

MISSION MAUSAM

FeatureDetails
ObjectiveWeather-ready & Climate-smart India
Focus AreasAI forecasting, Doppler Radars, satellite integration
ImportanceDisaster preparedness & climate resilience

EVOLUTION OF IMD

YearDevelopment
1875IMD established
201415 Doppler Weather Radars
202339 Doppler Weather Radars
2025IMD completed 150 years

IMPORTANT INSTITUTIONS

InstitutionRole
IMDCyclone forecasting in India
NHCAtlantic hurricane monitoring
INCOISOcean information services
NDRFDisaster response
CDEMACaribbean disaster coordination
CDRIDisaster-resilient infrastructure

INDIA’S HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE TO JAMAICA

AssistanceDetails
Relief Material20 tonnes
TransportIndian Air Force C-17
Key System SentBHISHM Medical Trauma Unit
Other MaterialsTents, generators, solar lanterns, medical supplies

BHISHM MEDICAL TRAUMA UNIT

FeatureDetails
Full FormBharat Health Initiative for Sahyog, Hita & Maitri
Structure72 modular boxes
PurposeRapid trauma care
UsageDisaster & humanitarian emergencies
NaturePortable field-level medical system

CYCLONE MOVEMENT TOWARDS LAND

Atmospheric FactorRole
Trade WindsPush cyclones westward
Hadley CirculationControls tropical circulation
Coriolis EffectCauses cyclonic rotation

ECOLOGICAL DIMENSION

EventImportance
Cyclone Ditwah diverting Amur FalconsShows climate-linked migration disturbance
Point Calimere sightingsHighlights biodiversity monitoring
BNHS roleAvian conservation research
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