The 1991 North Indian Ocean Cyclone season was an extremely deadly and destructive season causing the deaths of more than 138,000 people and over $1.5 billion in damages. It was the period in which tropical cyclones formed to the north of the equator in the Indian Ocean. During the season tropical cyclones were monitored by the
India Meteorological Department
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India. It is the principal agency responsible for meteorological observations, weather forecasting and seismology. IMD is headquarter ...
(IMD) and the
Joint Typhoon Warning Center
The Joint typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force command in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The JTWC is responsible for the issuing of tropical cyclone warnings in the North-West Pacific Ocean, South P ...
. The IMD assigned all depressions that it monitored with BOB followed by a number in numerical order. The JTWC also assigned a number and either the letter A or B depending on where the depression was when the first advisory was issued.
During the year there were eight depressions that were monitored by the IMD while the JTWC monitored four during the year of which one was not monitored by the IMD. The first cyclone of the year formed on January 17 and had little effect on ships that were moving through the Arabian sea to take part in the
Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
. The deadliest cyclone during the year was
Super Cyclonic Storm BOB 01, which killed over 138,000 people.
__TOC__
Season summary
ImageSize = width:900 height:200
PlotArea = top:10 bottom:80 right:50 left:20
Legend = columns:3 left:30 top:58 columnwidth:270
AlignBars = early
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period = from:01/01/1991 till:01/01/1992
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
ScaleMinor = grid:black unit:month increment:1 start:01/01/1991
Colors =
id:canvas value:gray(0.88)
id:GP value:red
id:TD value:rgb(0.5,0.8,1) legend:Depression_=_≤51_km/h_(≤31_mph)
id:DD value:rgb(0.37,0.73,1) legend:Deep_Depression_=_52–61_km/h_(32–38_mph)
id:TS value:rgb(0,0.98,0.96) legend:Cyclonic_Storm_=_62–87_km/h_(39–54_mph)
id:ST value:rgb(0.80,1,1) legend:Severe_Cyclonic_Storm_=_88–119_km/h_(55–73_mph)
id:VS value:rgb(1,1,0.8) legend:Very_Severe_Cyclonic_Storm_=_118–165_km/h_(73–102_mph)
id:ES value:rgb(1,0.76,0.25) legend:Extremely_Severe_Cyclonic_Storm_=_166–221_km/h_(103–137_mph)
id:SU value:rgb(1,0.38,0.38) legend:Super_Cyclonic_Storm_=_≥222_km/h_(≥138_mph)
Backgroundcolors = canvas:canvas
BarData =
barset:Hurricane
bar:Month
PlotData=
barset:Hurricane width:10 align:left fontsize:S shift:(4,-4) anchor:till
from:17/01/1991 till:20/01/1991 color:TS text:01A (TS)
barset:break
from:22/04/1991 till:30/04/1991 color:SU text: BOB 01 (SU)
from:30/05/1991 till:03/06/1991 color:TS text:BOB 02 (CS)
from:27/07/1991 till:01/08/1991 color:DD text:BOB 03 (DD)
from:21/08/1991 till:26/08/1991 color:TD text:BOB 04 (D)
barset:break
from:21/09/1991 till:22/09/1991 color:TD text:BOB 05 (D)
from:12/10/1991 till:14/10/1991 color:TD text:BOB 06 (D)
from:28/10/1991 till:30/10/1991 color:TD text:BOB 07 (D)
from:09/11/1991 till:16/11/1991 color:TS text:BOB 08 (CS)
bar:Month width:5 align:center fontsize:S shift:(0,-20) anchor:middle color:canvas
from:01/01/1991 till:01/02/1991 text:January
from:01/02/1991 till:01/03/1991 text:February
from:01/03/1991 till:01/04/1991 text:March
from:01/04/1991 till:30/04/1991 text:April
from:01/05/1991 till:31/05/1991 text:May
from:01/06/1991 till:01/07/1991 text:June
from:01/07/1991 till:01/08/1991 text:July
from:01/08/1991 till:01/09/1991 text:August
from:01/09/1991 till:01/10/1991 text:September
from:01/10/1991 till:01/11/1991 text:October
from:01/11/1991 till:01/12/1991 text:November
from:01/12/1991 till:01/01/1992 text:December
During 1991 the India Meteorological Department officially monitored eight cyclonic disturbances, which included five depressions and three cyclonic storms.
For the sixth and final year in a row, there was no cyclonic storms officially monitored within the Arabian Sea. However, the United States
Joint Typhoon Warning Center
The Joint typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force command in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The JTWC is responsible for the issuing of tropical cyclone warnings in the North-West Pacific Ocean, South P ...
unofficially monitored a tropical storm within the Arabian Sea, during January that posed a direct threat to
Coalition forces
' ps, کمک او همکاري '
, allies = Afghanistan
, opponents = Taliban Al-Qaeda
, commander1 =
, commander1_label = Commander
, commander2 =
, commander2_label =
, commander3 =
, comman ...
in the buildup to the
Gulf war
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
.
The first official system of the season was the strongest, deadliest, and most damaging system of the season
Systems
Tropical Storm 01A
During January 14, the JTWC started to monitor an area of convection that had developed within the near equatorial trough of low pressure, about 900 km (560 mi) to the southeast of
Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...
,
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
.
Over the next couple of days the disturbance moved towards the northwest under the
subtropical ridge
The horse latitudes are the latitudes about 30 degrees north and south of the Equator. They are characterized by sunny skies, calm winds, and very little precipitation. They are also known as Subtropics, subtropical ridges, or highs. It is a h ...
of pressure, before early on January 17, the JTWC noticed a steady increase in deep convection and issued a
Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert
A Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA) is a bulletin released by the U.S. Navy-operated Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Honolulu, Hawaii or the Fleet Weather Center in Norfolk, Virginia, warning of the possibility of a tropical cyclone forming ...
.
Later that day the JTWC initiated advisories as the disturbance had intensified into a tropical storm and designated it as Cyclone 01A.
As the Cyclone was suffering from being in an area of strong vertical
wind shear
Wind shear (or windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical or horizontal ...
it was not able to intensify past minimal tropical storm strength of 65 km/h, (40 mph).
During the next couple of days, strong upper-level winds stripped deep convection away from the center with the JTWC downgrading the cyclone to a tropical depression early on January 19.
The remaining low level circulation center slowly dissipated with the JTWC issuing their final advisory early the next day.
The cyclone posed a direct threat to
Coalition forces
' ps, کمک او همکاري '
, allies = Afghanistan
, opponents = Taliban Al-Qaeda
, commander1 =
, commander1_label = Commander
, commander2 =
, commander2_label =
, commander3 =
, comman ...
, which were operating in the
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...
,
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...
and the
Red Sea
The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...
, in the buildup to the
Gulf war
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
.
However it was not a significant factor in the buildup to the Gulf war and due to it low latitude track and weak intensity it had little effect on ships steaming to the Middle East.
As a result of the cyclone remaining out to sea, there was no reported impact on land.
Super Cyclonic Storm BOB 01
BOB 01, tracked by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center as 02B, hit Bangladesh on April 29 as a strong cyclone.
It brought a tremendous storm surge and massive wind damage, resulting in the deaths of over 138,000 people. BOB 01 was the deadliest cyclone on Earth since the
1970 Bhola Cyclone
The 1970 Bhola cyclone (Also known as the Great Cyclone of 1970) was a devastating tropical cyclone that struck East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh) and India's West Bengal on November 11, 1970. It remains the deadliest tropical cyclone ever re ...
. It also destroyed an estimated 1 million homes, leaving as many as 10 million people (a substantial portion of the country's population) homeless.
Cyclonic Storm BOB 02
On May 30, a depression formed in the Bay of Bengal. It moved north-northeastward and strengthened to a 60 mph tropical storm on June 2. BOB 02 affected the same region as the super cyclonic storm nearly a month earlier. Although the storm disrupted relief efforts, as a result of well-executed warnings, it caused no reported fatalities. BOB 02 dissipated inland the next day.
Deep Depression BOB 03
During July 27, a depression developed over the northern Bay of Bengal to the east of the Indian state of Odisha.
Over the next day the system moved westwards and developed into a Deep Depression, as it made landfall near Badudebpur in Odisha with estimated winds of .
The system dissipated over East Rajasthan during July 31, as it enhanced monsoon activities over northern and eastern India.
Depression BOB 04
Early on August 22, reported that Depression BOB 04 had formed about 160 km (100 mi), to the southeast of
Balasore
Balasore or Baleswara is a city in the state of Odisha, about north of the state capital Bhubaneswar and from Kolkata, in eastern India. It is the largest town of northern Odisha and the administrative headquarters of Balasore district. It i ...
, India.
As the depression moved towards northwest, it failed to intensify any further.
The depression made landfall in the Indian state of Odisha later that day and maintained its identity until it weakened into a low-pressure area early on August 26.
The depression's windspeeds were estimated to have peaked at , whilst the lowest pressure recorded was 992 hPa.
Depression BOB 05
Depression BOB 05 developed in the Bay of Bengal on September 21. It struck
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
and dissipated the following day.
Depression BOB 06
Depression BOB 06 developed in the Bay of Bengal on October 12. It struck Bangladesh and dissipated on October 14.
Depression BOB 07
Depression BOB 07 developed in the Bay of Bengal on October 28. It struck
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
and dissipated on October 30.
Cyclonic Storm BOB 08
The final storm of the season, which formed in the eastern Bay of Bengal on November 9, hit eastern India as a 45 mph tropical storm on the 15th. It dissipated the next day over the country.
The Cyclonic storm brought torrential rain and flash floods across southern India when it made landfall. Twenty-four-hour rainfall totaled at Karaikal.
As a direct result of the flooding at least 40 people died.
[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EeYdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RCwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5208,450731&dq=andhra+pradesh+cyclone&hl=en ]
Season effects
, -
, 01A , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , ,
, -
,
BOB 01 , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Yunnan , , , , , ,
, -
, BOB 02 , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , India, Bangladesh , , , , None , ,
, -
, BOB 03 , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , India , , , , , ,
, -
, BOB 04 , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , India , , , , , ,
, -
, BOB 05 , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , India , , , , , ,
, -
, BOB 06 , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Bangladesh, India , , , , , ,
, -
, BOB 07 , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , India , , , , , ,
, -
, BOB 08 , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , India , , Minimal , , 40 , ,
, -
See also
*
Tropical cyclones in 1991
During 1991, tropical cyclones formed within seven different tropical cyclone basins, located within various parts of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. During the year, a total of 100 systems formed with 75 of these developing further and ...
*
North Indian Ocean tropical cyclone
In the Indian Ocean north of the equator, tropical cyclones can form throughout the year on either side of India, although most frequently between April and June, and between October and December.
Sub-basins
The North Indian Ocean is the lea ...
*
1991 Atlantic hurricane season
The 1991 Atlantic hurricane season was the first season since 1984 in which no hurricanes developed from tropical waves, which are the source for most North Atlantic tropical cyclones. The hurricane season officially began on June 1, and en ...
*
1991 Pacific hurricane season
The 1991 Pacific hurricane season was a near-average Pacific hurricane season. The worst storm this year was Tropical Storm Ignacio, which killed 23 people in Mexico and injured 40 others. Elsewhere, Hurricane Fefa caused flooding in Hawaii. Hu ...
*
1991 Pacific typhoon season
* South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season:
1990–91,
1991–92
* Australian region cyclone season:
1990–91,
1991–92
* South Pacific cyclone season:
1990–91,
1991–92
References
External links
India Meteorological DepartmentJoint Typhoon Warning Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:1991 North Indian Ocean Cyclone Season