The 1978 Sri Lanka Cyclone (JTWC designation: ''04B'') was one of the most destructive tropical cyclones to strike

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 ...

since modern records began. The cyclone formed on November 17, 1978, and attained peak intensity on November 23, 1978, right before making landfall in

Batticaloa Batticaloa ( ta, மட்டக்களப்பு, ''Maṭṭakkaḷappu''; si, මඩකලපුව, ''Maḍakalapuwa'') is a major city in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, and its former capital. It is the administrative capital of the B ...

. Sri Lanka's eastern province was heavily affected by the cyclone.

Meteorological history

The storm formed on 17 November over the southwest Bay of Bengal. It intensified gradually, reaching a peak intensity of 220 kmph (140 mph), while the Joint Typhoon Warning Center analyzed the storm as a Category 2 equivalent cyclone on the

Saffir–Simpson scale The Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale (SSHWS) classifies hurricanes—which in the Western Hemisphere are tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of tropical depressions and tropical storms—into five categories distinguished by ...

on November 23. The cyclone made landfall in Batticaloa at its peak intensity by the same night. It emerged over the Gulf of Mannar on the 24th. That same evening, the storm made its second landfall in Kilakkarai in

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 ...

with one-minute sustained winds of 85 kmph (50 mph). The storm then moved back into the ocean around the

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

coast. It spent its remaining days over Arabian Sea, eventually dissipating on 29 November.

Impact

The cyclone had devastating impacts in Sri Lanka, killing about 915 people. An estimated more than one million people were affected, with over 250,000 buildings damaged, and one fifth of Batticaloa's fishing fleet destroyed. 9 of the 11 paddy stores were destroyed and 90 percent of the coconut plantation (28,000 odd acres of coconut plantation) in the Batticaloa district had been destroyed. The Sri Lankan government spent over 600 million Sri Lankan rupees in relief efforts in the aftermath of the disaster. A tropical cyclone report noted that over 130 electrical lines were downed and many of religious buildings were reduced to rubble. The cyclone resulted in a substantial number of people being left without electricity and water. Many houses suffered severe structural damage due to its high wind speeds. The impact of the storm in India was minimal. The storm brought some damage to the province of Nadu. In the

Ramanathapuram Ramanathapuram (), also known as Ramnad, is a town and a municipality in Ramanathapuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Ramanathapuram district and the second largest town (by population) in ...

and

Tuticorin Thoothukudi (formerly Tuticorin) is a port city, a municipal corporation and an industrial city in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The city lies in the Coromandel Coast of Bay of Bengal. Thoothukudi is the capital and he ...

districts nearly 5000 huts were damaged, and damages in Indian Rupees were estimated to be 5 crores ($626.8 1978 USD). The storm brought rainfall over

and the

Lakshadweep Islands Lakshadweep (), also known as Laccadives (), is a union territory of India. It is an archipelago of 36 islands in the Arabian sea, located off the Malabar Coast. The name ''Lakshadweep'' means "one lakh islands" in Sanskrit, though the Lac ...

References

External links

12 மணி நேரம் (''The 12 hours''), a Tamil book has been documented the 1978 cyclone and its aftermath.
Tropical cyclones in Sri Lanka 1978 in Sri Lanka 1978–79 Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone season {{Tropical-cyclone-stub