 The cyclone on 29 October at its record peak intensity, as it made landfall on Odisha | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 25 October 1999 |
| Remnant low | 31 October 1999 |
| Dissipated | 4 November 1999 |
| Super cyclonic storm | |
| 3-minute sustained (IMD) | |
| Highest winds | 260 km/h (160 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 912 hPa (mbar); 26.93 inHg (Record low in North Indian Ocean) |
| Category 5-equivalent tropical cyclone | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC) | |
| Highest winds | 260 km/h (160 mph) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 9,887 (Using IMD figure.[1] Some estimates range up to 30,000[2]) |
| Damage | $4.44 billion (1999 USD) |
| Areas affected | Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India (particularly Odisha) |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1999 North Indian Ocean cyclone season | |
The 1999 Odisha cyclone (IMD designation BOB 06,[1] JTWC designation 05B[3]) was the most intense recorded tropical cyclone in the North Indian Ocean and among the most destructive in the region.[note 1] The 1999 Odisha cyclone organized into a tropical depression in the Andaman Sea on 25 October, though its origins could be traced back to an area of convection in the Sulu Sea four days prior. The disturbance gradually strengthened as it took a west-northwesterly path, reaching cyclonic storm strength the next day. Aided by highly favorable conditions, the storm rapidly intensified, attaining super cyclonic storm intensity on 28 October, before peaking on the next day with winds of 260 km/h (160 mph) and a record-low pressure of 912 mbar (hPa; 26.93 inHg). The storm maintained this intensity as it made landfall on Odisha on 29 October. The cyclone steadily weakened due to persistent land interaction and dry air, remaining quasi-stationary for two days before slowly drifting offshore as a much weaker system; the storm dissipated on 4 November over the Bay of Bengal.
Although its primary effects were felt in a localized area of India, the outer fringes of the super cyclone impacted Myanmar and Bangladesh. Ten people were killed in the former, while two were killed in the latter by the storm's rainbands. The storm was the most severe to strike Odisha in the 20th century, raking the state and adjacent areas with high storm surge, powerful winds, and torrential rainfall. The storm's impacts exacerbated the damage caused by a very severe cyclone that struck the same region less than two weeks earlier. The 5–6 m (16–20 ft) surge brought water up to 35 km (20 mi) inland, carrying along with it coastal debris and inundating towns and villages. The surge combined with heavy rains to produce widespread flooding, damaging around 1.6 million homes and causing rivers to breach 20,005 flood embankments. The storm's effects destroyed numerous crops, including sugar cane, rice, and other winter-time harvests. Although estimates of the death toll varied significantly—at times suggesting 30,000 fatalities—the Government of India enumerated 9,887 fatalities in the country, of which a majority were caused by storm surge; over 8,000 deaths occurred in Jagatsinghpur. The total damage cost of the destruction wrought by the super cyclone amounted to US$4.44 billion.[note 2]
Recovery efforts were extensive following the storm's passage. The Government of India allocated ₹3 billion (US$69.3 million) to the Odisha state government, supplementing earlier contributions made towards relief from the earlier cyclone. Various branches of the Indian Armed Forces were dispatched to aid the recovery efforts. Contributions from foreign governments amounted to nearly US$13 million, with more than half[5] allocated by the United States. Alongside foreign and domestic government contributions, between 12 and 14 international aid agencies concurrently participated in relief efforts in the storm's aftermath.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
IMDwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
GPwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ McPherson, Terry; Stapler, Wendell (2000). "1999 Annual Tropical Cyclone Report" (PDF). Naval Oceanography Operations Command. Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, United States: Joint Typhoon Warning Center. pp. 154–159. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 December 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
- ^ "Orissa's new name is Odisha". The Times of India. New Delhi. 24 March 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
- ^ "India - Cyclone Fact Sheet #1, Fiscal Year (FY) 2000 - India". 16 November 1999.
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