2018 North Indian Ocean cyclone season

2018 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
Season summary map
Seasonal boundaries
First system formedMarch 13, 2018 (2018-03-13)
Last system dissipatedDecember 17, 2018 (2018-12-17)
Strongest storm
NameMekunu
 • Maximum winds175 km/h (110 mph)
(3-minute sustained)
 • Lowest pressure960 hPa (mbar)
Seasonal statistics
Depressions14
Deep depressions10
Cyclonic storms7
Severe cyclonic storms5
Very severe cyclonic storms4
Extremely severe cyclonic storms1
Total fatalities283 total
Total damage$4.32 billion (2018 USD)
Related articles
North Indian Ocean tropical cyclone seasons
2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020

The 2018 North Indian Ocean cyclone season was one of the most active North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons since 1992, with the formation of fourteen depressions and seven cyclones. The North Indian Ocean cyclone season has no official bounds, but cyclones tend to form between April and December, with the two 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 (JTWC) and the National Meteorological Center of CMA (NMC) unofficially release full advisories. On average, three to four cyclonic storms form in this basin every season.[1][2]

  1. ^ "Annual Frequency of Cyclonic Disturbances (Maximum Wind Speed of 17 Knots or More), Cyclones (34 Knots or More) and Severe Cyclones (48 Knots or More) Over the Bay of Bengal (BOB), Arabian Sea (AS) and Land Surface of India" (PDF). India Meteorological Department. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  2. ^ RSMC — Tropical Cyclones New Delhi (2010). Report on Cyclonic Disturbances over North Indian Ocean during 2009 (PDF) (Report). India Meteorological Department. pp. 2–3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-04. Retrieved May 24, 2011.