| 2023 North Indian Ocean cyclone season | |
|---|---|
 Season summary map | |
| Seasonal boundaries | |
| First system formed | 30 January 2023 |
| Last system dissipated | 6 December 2023 |
| Strongest storm | |
| Name | Mocha |
| • Maximum winds | 215 km/h (130 mph) (3-minute sustained) |
| • Lowest pressure | 938 hPa (mbar) |
| Seasonal statistics | |
| Depressions | 9, 1 unofficial |
| Deep depressions | 7, 1 unofficial |
| Cyclonic storms | 6, 1 unofficial |
| Severe cyclonic storms | 6 (record high, tied with 2019) |
| Very severe cyclonic storms | 4 |
| Extremely severe cyclonic storms | 3 (record high, tied with 1999 and 2019) |
| Super cyclonic storms | 0 |
| Total fatalities | 523 total |
| Total damage | $3.21 billion (2023 USD) |
| Related articles | |
The 2023 North Indian Ocean cyclone season was a highly above-average and deadly season, becoming the most active since 2019, with nine depressions and six cyclonic storms forming. It was the deadliest since 2017, mostly due to Cyclone Mocha, and had the second-highest accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) in the basin, after 2019.[1] It also had the most extremely severe cyclonic storms on record, tying with 1999 and 2019. The North Indian Ocean cyclone season has no official bounds, but cyclones tend to form between April and December, with the peak from May to November. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northern Indian Ocean. However, a cyclone can form at any time during the year shown by an unnamed depression that affected Sri Lanka in January–February.
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 for interest. On average, three to four cyclonic storms form in this basin every season.[2]
- ^ "Climatology of Tropical Cyclones over North Indian Ocean (NIO)" (PDF). severeweather.wmo.int. 8 December 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 March 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
- ^ "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. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 December 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2015.