| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 9 October 1737 |
| Dissipated | 13 October 1737 |
| Super cyclonic storm | |
| 3-minute sustained (IMD) | |
| Highest winds | 260 km/h (160 mph) |
| Category 5-equivalent tropical cyclone | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS) | |
| Highest winds | 270 km/h (165 mph) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 300,000+ |
| Areas affected | Bangladesh, India (mainly in the state of West Bengal) |
Part of the 1737 North Indian Ocean cyclone season | |
The 1737 Calcutta cyclone, also known as the Hooghly River cyclone of 1737 or the Great Bengal cyclone of 1737, was the first super cyclone on record in North Indian Ocean and is regarded as one of the worst natural disasters in India. It hit the coast near Kolkata on the morning of 11 October 1737 and has been reported[by whom?] to have killed over 300,000 people inland and at sea, and caused widespread catastrophic damage. The cyclone hit land over the Ganges River Delta, just southwest of Calcutta. Most deaths resulted from the storm surge and happened on the sea: many ships sank in the Bay of Bengal and an unknown number of livestock and wild animals were killed from the effects of the cyclone. The damage was described as "extensive" but numerical statistics are unknown.