2007 North Indian Ocean cyclone season | |
---|---|
Seasonal boundaries | |
First system formed | May 1, 2007 |
Last system dissipated | November 16, 2007 |
Strongest storm | |
Name | Gonu |
• Maximum winds | 240 km/h (150 mph) (3-minute sustained) |
• Lowest pressure | 920 hPa (mbar) |
Seasonal statistics | |
Depressions | 12 |
Deep depressions | 9 |
Cyclonic storms | 4 |
Severe cyclonic storms | 2 |
Very severe cyclonic storms | 2 |
Extremely severe cyclonic storms | 2 |
Super cyclonic storms | 1 |
Total fatalities | At least 16,248 total |
Total damage | ~ $9.69 billion (2007 USD) |
Related articles | |
The 2007 North Indian Ocean cyclone season was one of the most active North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons on record. The North Indian Ocean cyclone season has no official bounds, but cyclones tend to form between April and December, with peaks in May and November. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northern Indian Ocean.
The scope of this article is limited to the Indian Ocean in the Northern Hemisphere, east of the Horn of Africa and west of the Malay Peninsula. There are two main seas in the North Indian Ocean — the Arabian Sea to the west of the Indian subcontinent, abbreviated ARB by the India Meteorological Department (IMD); and the Bay of Bengal to the east, abbreviated BOB by the IMD.
The official Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre in this basin is the India Meteorological Department (IMD), while the Joint Typhoon Warning Center releases unofficial advisories. The tropical cyclone scale for this basin is detailed on the right. On average, 4 to 6 storms form in this basin every season.[1]
2007 was an active year for this basin; it was the most destructive season in known history at this time, only for the 2008 season to surpass it the next year. 2007 was also the first season to have multiple Category 5 cyclones (by the Saffir Simpson Scale), and the two Category 5's, Sidr and Gonu, were also the first named Category 5 cyclones to form in their respective seas; Gonu in the Arabian Sea, and Sidr in the Bay of Bengal. Some other notable storms of the season include Akash and Yemyin, both of which caused substantial damage and deaths. At least 4,545 deaths were reported, and damage was about 6.4 billion dollars.