Timeline of the 2018 North Indian Ocean cyclone season

Timeline of the
2018 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
Season summary map
Season boundaries
First system formedMarch 13, 2018
Last system dissipatedDecember 17, 2018
Strongest system
NameMekunu
Maximum winds175 km/h (110 mph)
(3-minute sustained)
Lowest pressure960 hPa (mbar)
Longest lasting system
NameGaja
Duration9.625 days
Storm articles
Other years
2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020

The 2018 North Indian Ocean cyclone season was an above-average period of tropical cyclone formation in the Northern Indian Ocean. The season featured 14 depressions, 10 deep depressions, 7 cyclonic storms, 5 severe cyclonic storms, 4 very severe cyclonic storms, and 1 extremely severe cyclonic storm. The season has no official boundaries,[citation needed] though storms typically form between April and December, with peaks in tropical cyclone activity from May–June and in November.[1]

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is the official Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre for the Northern Indian Ocean basin,[2] and as such, it is responsible for tracking and issuing advisories on systems in the Arabian Sea and in the Bay of Bengal.[3] If tropical cyclones in the Northern Indian Ocean reach winds of 34 kn (63 km/h; 39 mph), it is given a name from a pre-defined naming list.[4] The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) unofficially issues advisories on systems in the Northern Indian Ocean,[5] assigning tropical cyclones a numerical identifier[6] and suffixing it with the letter A for systems in the Arabian Sra and B for systems in the Bay of Bengal.[7] The IMD measures tropical cyclone wind speeds over a 3-minute average[8] while the JTWC uses a 1-minute average.[6]

  1. ^ Kruk, Michael C. (September 1, 2019). "State of the Climate in 2018". North Indian Ocean Basin. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 100 (9). American Meteorological Society: S127–S128. doi:10.1175/2019BAMSStateoftheClimate.1. hdl:10669/80308.
  2. ^ "Worldwide Tropical Cyclone Centers". National Hurricane Center. Miami, Florida. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  3. ^ "Activities of RSMC, New Delhi". India Meteorological Department. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  4. ^ Tropical Cyclone Operational Plan for the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea: 2020 (Report). Geneva, Switzerland: World Meteorological Organization. 2020. p. 12. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  5. ^ "Products and Services Notice". Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Pearl Harbor, Florida. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Frequently Asked Questions". Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Pearl Harbor, Florida. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  7. ^ "North Indian Ocean Best Track Data". Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Pearl Harbor, Florida. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  8. ^ Mohapatra, Mrutyunjay; et al., eds. (2016). WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones Annual Review 2016 (PDF) (Report). World Meteorological Organization, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. p. ix. Retrieved August 25, 2021 – via India Meteorological Department.