 Cyclone Bijli on April 16 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | April 14, 2009 |
| Dissipated | April 17, 2009 |
| Cyclonic storm | |
| 3-minute sustained (IMD) | |
| Highest winds | 75 km/h (45 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 996 hPa (mbar); 29.41 inHg |
| Tropical storm | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC) | |
| Highest winds | 95 km/h (60 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 985 hPa (mbar); 29.09 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 4 direct, 3 indirect |
| Areas affected | Eastern India, Bangladesh, Myanmar |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 2009 North Indian Ocean cyclone season | |
Cyclonic Storm Bijli (JTWC designation: 01B), was the first tropical cyclone to form during the 2009 North Indian Ocean cyclone season. Bijli formed from an area of Low Pressure on April 14. Later that evening, RSMC New Delhi upgraded the low-pressure area to a Depression and designated it as BOB 01. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) then issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert for the system and soon after designated it as Tropical Depression 01B. On the evening of April 15, both RSMC New Delhi and the JTWC reported that the system had intensified into a tropical storm, with the former naming it Bilji. Soon after, Bilji reached its peak intensity as it approached the coast of Bangladesh. However, on the morning of April 17, Bijli weakened to a deep depression due to land interaction, before making landfall just south of Chittagong. The remnants of Bilji continued to weaken as they tracked across northern Myanmar, before RSMC New Delhi issued their last advisory on April 18. The word Bijli refers to lightning in Hindi.