The 2012 North Indian Ocean cyclone season was a very inactive season. The season had a very late start, with the first system forming in October. During the season, only five systems formed, of which only two became cyclonic storms. Both the storms made landfall, and they, along with the deep depressions, were responsible for 128 deaths and economic losses worth at least $56.7 million (2012 USD). The season had no severe cyclonic storms, Only the second time in history with 2005
The scope of this article is limited to the Indian Ocean in the
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...
, east of the
Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...
and west of the Malay Peninsula. There are two main seas in the North Indian Ocean — 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 ...
to the west of the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
, abbreviated ''ARB'' 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
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line between ...
to the east, abbreviated ''BOB'' by the IMD. The official
Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre
A Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre (RSMC) is responsible for the distribution of information, advisories, and warnings regarding the specific program they have a part of, agreed by consensus at the World Meteorological Organization as p ...
in this basin is 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), while 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 first depression of the season developed out of the remnants of Severe Tropical Storm Gaemi on October 10, 2012, very late into the 2012 cyclone season, about southeast of
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
,
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
. and brought high winds and heavy rains to much of
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
, causing extensive damage. The storm killed a total of 30 people. On October 23, the second depression of the season developed out of a persistent low 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 ...
and soon became the first cyclonic storm of the season ''Murjan''. Only two days later, the third depression of the season formed in southern Bay of Bengal and gradually strengthened into Cyclonic Storm Nilam. The cyclone made landfall over Southern India early on October 31 and dissipated on November 2.
Systems
Deep Depression BOB 01
On October 10, the IMD started to monitor a depression that had developed out of an area of convection, associated with the remnants of Severe Tropical Storm Gaemi about southeast of
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
,
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
. During that day the depression moved towards the north and crossed the
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
coast near Hatiya early the next day. After the depression had made landfall, the IMD issued their final advisory on the depression as the system had weakened into an area of low pressure.
The storm brought high winds and heavy rains to much of Bangladesh, causing extensive damage. At least 1,500 mud, straw, and tin houses were destroyed and 30,000 more were damaged. Across the country, at least 43 people were killed. Additionally, a total of 106,585 people were affected. The most significant damage took place in Hatiya where seven people were killed and 1,000 homes were destroyed. Offshore, thousands of fishermen were caught off-guard by the storm and an estimated 1,500 were initially unaccounted for. However, this number was quickly reduced to around 60 the following day. According to the police chief of
Bhola District
Bhola District ( bn, ভোলা) is an administrative district (''zila'') in south-central Bangladesh, which includes Bhola Island, the largest island of Bangladesh. It is located in the Barisal Division and has an area of 3403.48 km2. It i ...
, the storm was far stronger than forecast and no warnings for a major storm were made. In light of the damage wrought by the storm,
Oxfam
Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent charitable organizations focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International.
History
Founded at 17 Broad Street, Oxford, as the Oxford Co ...
called for international aid to the country.
Cyclonic Storm Murjan
On October 23, the IMD reported that a depression had developed out of an area of low pressure about to the west of India's
Amindivi
The Aminidivi Islands, are one of the three island subgroups in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India. It is the northern group of the Lakshadweep, separated from the Laccadive Islands subgroup roughly by the 11th parallel north. The total ...
Islands. The storm then tracked westwards and intensified into a deep depression by 18:00 UTC on the same day, followed by a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert issued by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center at 20:00 UTC. Late on October 24, the IMD upgraded depression ARB 01 to a cyclonic storm, officially naming it ''Murjan''. Murjan became the first cyclonic storm of the season. The cyclone continued tracking westward at . Microwave satellite imagery depicted that most of the convection remained to the south of the system. At that time, Murjan was tracking just south of a
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 ...
in an environment with low
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 horizonta ...
. The storm crossed the coast of Somalia by late 25 October and gradually weakened into a depression. The India Meteorological Department issued their final bulletin for Murjan at 06:00 UTC of 26 October 2012.
There were reports of severe flooding in
Bosaso
Bosaso ( so, Boosaaso, ar, بوصاصو), historically known as Bender Cassim is a city in the northeastern Bari province ('' gobol'') of Somalia. It is the seat of the Bosaso District. Located on the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden, the mu ...
city in
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
. The storm brought strong winds and heavy but beneficial rains within the areas of Bari region (Bossasso, Ishkushban and Bandar Beyla) according to the Somalia Water and Land Information Management.
Cyclonic Storm Nilam
An area of convection crossed the
Isthmus of Kra
The Kra Isthmus ( th, คอคอดกระ, ) in Thailand is the narrowest part of the Malay Peninsula. The western part of the isthmus belongs to Ranong Province and the eastern part to Chumphon Province, both in Southern Thailand. The ...
on 23 October and entered the Bay of Bengal from the Pacific Ocean. It slowly organized itself and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) issued a TCFA at 03:30 UTC of 28 October. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) later upgraded the low-pressure area to a Depression on the same day, when the storm was located about
east-northeast
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
of
Trincomalee
Trincomalee (; ta, திருகோணமலை, translit=Tirukōṇamalai; si, ත්රිකුණාමළය, translit= Trikuṇāmaḷaya), also known as Gokanna and Gokarna, is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee Dis ...
,
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 ...
. Early on 29th October, BOB 02 was upgraded to a Deep Depression and was put under constant surveillance by the IMD. Later that day, the JTWC initiated advisories on the system, designating it with ''02B''. The next day, BOB 02 further intensified into a cyclonic storm and was named ''Nilam'' by the IMD. The name ''Nilam'' was suggested by Pakistan, it is the
Sapphire
Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium. The name sapphire is derived via the Latin "sapphir ...
. The storm made landfall at peak intensity near
Mahabalipuram
Mamallapuram, also known as Mahabalipuram, is a town in Chengalpattu district in the southeastern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, best known for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of 7th- and 8th-century Hindu Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram. It is o ...
on 31 October, and started weakening. Reporting that the storm reached a peak intensity of (1-min sustained winds), the JTWC issued their last advisory on the system. In the early hours of November 1, Nilam weakened into a Deep Depression. As it moved further inland into the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, Nilam further weakened into a Depression. Nilam dissipated on November 2, over north interior
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
.
The storm brought torrential rains to Sri Lanka. The Puttalam – Mannar road was submerged under about a meter of water near Eluwankulama due to the overflowing of the Kala Oya river. According to the police, a 27-year-old woman was killed when a sand rock fell on her house during heavy rains at Habaraduwa in
Galle District
Galle ( si, ගාල්ල දිස්ත්රික්කය ''gālla distrikkaya''; ta, காலி மாவட்டம் ''Kāli māvattam'') is a district in Southern Province, Sri Lanka. It is one of 25 districts of Sri Lanka, th ...
. Rail services were temporarily suspended when electricity lines fell on the railway track. In Chennai, all schools and colleges were closed as 282 schools and 52 community hallwereve been converted into cyclone shelters. Danger signal 7 was hosted in Chennai,
Ennore
Ennore, also spelt , is a neighbourhood in Chennai, India. Ennore is situated on a peninsula and is bounded by the Korttalaiyar River, Ennore Creek and the Bay of Bengal. The creek separates south Ennore from the north Ennore which covers majo ...
,
Cuddalore
Cuddalore, also spelt as Kadalur (), is the city and headquarters of the Cuddalore District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Situated south of Chennai, Cuddalore was an important port during the British Raj.
While the early history of Cudda ...
and
Nagapattinam
Nagapattinam (''nākappaṭṭinam'', previously spelt Nagapatnam or Negapatam) is a town in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Nagapattinam District. The town came to prominence during the period of Medieval ...
ports of Tamil Nadu and in
Puducherry Puducherry or Pondicherry may refer to:
* Puducherry (union territory), a union territory of India
** Pondicherry, capital of the union territory of Puducherry
** Puducherry district, a district of the union territory of Puducherry
** Puducherry t ...
, and danger signal 3 in
Krishnapatnam
Krishnapatnam or Kistnapatam is a port town in Muthukur mandal of Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh, India.
Demographics
Census of India, the town had a population of . The total
population constitute, males, females and
children, i ...
, Vadarevu,
Machilipatnam
Machilipatnam (), also known as Masulipatnam and Bandar, is a city in Krishna district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipal corporation and the administrative headquarters of Krishna district. It is also the mandal headquarte ...
and
Nizampatnam
Nizampatnam is a village in Bapatla district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the mandal headquarters of Nizampatnam mandal in Repalle revenue division. The Dutch occupied the city for trading from 1606−1668.
Etymology
Named af ...
ports of Andhra Pradesh.
Deep Depression BOB 03
A area of low pressure formed in the Bay of Bengal on 12 November. It gradually drifted northwestwards and organized itself until on November 17, when the JTWC issued a TCFA on the system, reporting 30 knot winds at the center. About half an hour following the TCFA, the IMD upgraded the area of low pressure into a Depression, and further into a Deep Depression, the same evening. BOB 03 developed a well-defined LLCC with increasing deep convection located to the north of the system. In an environment with weak to moderate 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 ...
and high sea surface temperatures, the depression intensified further. The same night, the JTWC initiated advisories on the system, classifying it as a tropical storm with one minute sustained winds of 35 knots. On November 18, BOB 03 encountered strong wind shear from the south west that diminished most of its convection. Soon, the LLCC became fully exposed, as a result of the wind shear. Located just north of a subtropical ridge, BOB 03's inflow was affected by dry air that wrapped the center of the storm. The following day, IMD reported the storm had weakened into a depression and was predicted to weaken further. At the same time, JTWC stopped tracking BOB 03, stating that the storm's wind speeds had diminished to below warning criteria. By 1800 UTC of 19 November 2012, IMD reported the storm had weakened into a well marked low-pressure area and issued their last bulletin for the system. The system later had a few bursts of convection, before dissipating completely off the coast of southern India, on November 20. Tirupathi city recorded a heavy rainfall of 181mm which was the highest in that region.
Deep Depression ARB 02
Under the influence of an active Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone, a low-pressure area formed over the Arabian Sea near 7.3°N and 70.7°E on 18 December. It slowly tracked westwards, organizing itself and intensifying into a Depression by 09:00 UTC of 22 December. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) upgraded the storm into a tropical cyclone by 03:00 UTC of 23 December, followed by Deep Depression status by the morning hours of the same day. However the storm encountered strong vertical wind shear and colder sea surface temperatures on 24 December, causing its low-level circulation center to become fully exposed, prompting JTWC to issue its final advisory on the storm. Further weakening ensued as land interaction increased, and the IMD downgraded ARB 02 into a low-pressure area on 25 December.
Season effects
This is a table of all storms in the 2012 North Indian Ocean cyclone season. It mentions all of the season's storms and their names, durations, peak intensities (according to the IMD storm scale), damages, and death totals. Damage and death totals include the damage and deaths caused when that storm was a precursor wave or extratropical low, and all of the damage figures are in 2012 USD.
, -
, BOB 01 , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , ,
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
,
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
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 ...
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
2012 Pacific hurricane season
The 2012 Pacific hurricane season was a moderately active Pacific hurricane season that saw an unusually high number of tropical cyclones pass west of the Baja California Peninsula. The season officially started on May 15 in the eastern Pacific, ...