The Gujarat coast is being approached by Cyclone Biparjoy, which is likely to make landfall close to Jakhau port in the Kutch area and is packing maximum sustained winds of up to 145 kmph.
Authorities have already evacuated some 74,000 residents in susceptible locations after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a warning about the “extensive damaging potential” of the cyclone.
With a 7,516 km stretch of coastline, India is vulnerable to about 8% of the world’s tropical cyclones. An estimated 32 crore people live in nine coastal states, several union territories, and Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal on the east coast and Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, and Gujarat on the west coast.
The majority of cyclones originate over the Bay of Bengal and hit India’s east coast. The frequency, duration, and intensity of cyclones in the Arabian Sea have, however, increased dramatically during the past few decades, according to current research.
According to government data, on average, five to six tropical cyclones form each year, with the potential for two to three of them to be quite severe.
Over the past ten years, several large cyclones have made landfall in various regions of India. Here are some of the noteworthy ones.
- Cyclone Tauktae (2021): On May 17, 2021, when India was experiencing a furious second wave of COVID-19, Tauktae, an extremely severe cyclone, made landfall on Gujarat’s southern coast. The US Joint Typhoon Warning Centre reported that it had maximum sustained winds of up to 185 kmph, making it the “strongest tropical cyclone” to hit the west coast of India in at least two decades. The cyclone claimed over 100 lives, most of them in Gujarat, and caused destruction in Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, and Maharashtra as it brushed India’s west coast.
- Cyclone Amphan (2020): Amphan made landfall on May 20, 2020, close to the Sundarbans in West Bengal. It was the first super cyclone to cross the Bay of Bengal since Odisha in 1999. Amphan was the most expensive tropical storm in the history of the North Indian Ocean, according to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), with reported economic losses in India of almost USD 14 billion and 129 fatalities in India and Bangladesh.
- Cyclone Fani (2019): On May 3, 2019, Fani, with a wind speed of 175 kmph, made landfall near Puri in the Odisha state of India. 64 people lost their lives in the incredibly powerful cyclone, which also severely damaged homes, electricity lines, agricultural areas, communication networks, and water supply systems.
- Cyclone Vardah (2016): On December 12, 2016, Vardah made landfall close to Chennai. It was classified as an extremely dangerous cyclonic storm. In addition to causing significant infrastructural damage, uprooting trees, and disrupting power supplies in Chennai and surrounding areas, Vardah claimed 18 lives in Tamil Nadu. The evacuation of residents from susceptible regions was helped by early warnings and preparedness measures.
- Cyclone Hudhud (2014): On October 12, 2014, Hudhud made landfall in the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Around 124 people were killed by the cyclone, which also seriously damaged the electricity grid, the roads, and buildings. Due to the significant effects of flooding, storm surges, strong winds, and heavy rainfall in Visakhapatnam and the surrounding areas.
- Cyclone Phailin (2013): On October 12, 2013, Phailin struck the coast of Odisha close to Gopalpur in the Ganjam district with winds of roughly 200 kmph. This storm had an impact on 13.2 million people in 171 blocks throughout 18 districts of the state, and 44 people died as a result.
