1991–1994 North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons

The years from 1990-1994 featured the 1990-1994 North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons. Each season was an ongoing event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation. The North Indian tropical cyclone season has no bounds, but they tend to form between April and December, with peaks in May and November. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northern Indian Ocean.

1991 North Indian Ocean cyclone season

Tropical Storm One (1A)

On January 14, a tropical depression formed southeast of Sri Lanka. It traveled westward, becoming a tropical storm on the 17th before dissipating on the 20th over the Arabian Sea. Initially, it appeared that the storm might affect the air campaign of the Gulf War, but the system remained well to the south of the area.

Cyclone Two (2B)

infobox Hurricane Small


Track=1991 Bangladesh cyclone track.png

Cyclone Two hit Bangladesh on April 29 as a strong 155 mph cyclone. It brought a tremendous storm surge and massive wind damage, resulting in the deaths of over 138,000 people. Cyclone 2B was the deadliest cyclone on Earth since the 1970 Bhola Cyclone. It also destroyed an estimated 1 million homes, leaving as many as 10 million people (a substantial portion of the country's population) homeless.

Tropical Storm Three (3B)

On May 30, exactly a month after the previous storm, a tropical storm formed in the Bay of Bengal. It moved north-northeastward and strengthened to a 60 mph tropical storm on June 2, shortly before it hit nearly the same place as 02B did in the Bangladesh region. It dissipated the next day, only to disrupt relief efforts. Fortunately, it caused no reported fatalities due to the well-executed warnings.

Tropical Storm Four (4B)

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, but caused no reported damage.

1992 North Indian Ocean cyclone season

The 1992 North Indian Ocean cyclone Season was the most active in recorded history, with 12 tropical cyclones forming in the basin and an additional 1 entering the basin from the east. The previous record in the basin was 8 in 1987.

Cyclone One (1B)

The monsoon trough spawned a tropical depression on May 15 over the Bay of Bengal. It headed to the northwest, then turned to the northeast, becoming a tropical storm on the 17th. It slowly strengthened to become a cyclone, just before hitting Myanmar on the 19th.

Tropical Storm Two (2A)

From June 3 to the 12th, a tropical storm existed over the Arabian Sea, never strengthening beyond minimal tropical storm strength over the open waters.

Tropical Storm Three (3B)

On June 14, the monsoon trough developed a tropical depression over the Bay of Bengal. It tracked northward, becoming a tropical storm on the 17th before turning to the west and hitting India. The storm dissipated on the 18th.

Tropical Storm Four (4B)

The monsoon trough spawned a tropical depression over the northern Bay of Bengal on July 24. It strengthened to a tropical storm on the 26th before hitting India. This rare July cyclone dissipated on the 28th.

Tropical Depression Five (5B)

A monsoon depression moved westward over the northern Bay of Bengal, becoming more tropical on September 22. It hit near the Indian/Bangladesh coastline on the 23rd as a depression, and dissipated 2 days later over India.

Tropical Storm Six (6A)

On September 29, a tropical depression formed over India. It tracked westward, slowly strengthening to a tropical storm on the 1st due to vertical shear. The shear abated enough to let the storm reach a peak of 65 mph winds, but it returned, weakening the system to a 50 mph storm just before hitting eastern Oman on the 3rd.

Tropical Storm Seven (7B)

A tropical depression that developed in the Bay of Bengal on October 4 tracked westward to become a tropical storm on the 7th. It turned more to the north, and hit southeastern India as a 50 mph tropical storm on the 9th. No damage was reported.

Tropical Depression Eight (8B)

On October 13, a tropical depression formed in the Bay of Bengal. It tracked to the northwest, then the northeast where it hit Bangladesh on the 21st as a 35 mph tropical depression.

Tropical Storm Nine (9B)

A broad area of convection in the central Bay of Bengal organized into a tropical depression on October 31. It headed northwestward, becoming a tropical storm on the 3rd and reaching a peak of 65 mph winds on the 5th. Upper level shear caused it to dissipate on the 8th over open waters.

Cyclone Ten (10B)

A disturbance over the South China Sea became a weak tropical depression on November 6. It moved westward, crossing the Malay Peninsula and entering the Bay of Bengal on the 8th. On the 11th, the system became Tropical Storm Ten, and hit southern Sri Lanka as a 65 mph storm on the 12th. The next day it became a cyclone with a peak of 80 mph winds before hitting southern India. After weakening to a tropical depression over India, it restrengthened to a 65 mph storm before making landfall on western India on the 17th. No damage was reported.

Cyclone Forrest (30W)

Tropical Storm Forrest crossed the Malay Peninsula and reached the Bay of Bengal on November 15. It continued west-northwestward until a building ridge to its west brought Forrest more northward. As it turned to the north, Forrest reached Cyclone strength on the 18th. Because upper level winds were out of the southwest, Forrest was able to strengthen as it headed northeastward, reaching a peak of 145 mph winds before the shear finally took its toll. It hit a sparsely populated area of Myanmar on November 21 as a 95 mph cyclone, and dissipated the next day.

Not even a year after the destructive Bangladesh cyclone of 1991, full precautions were taken to minimize the death toll; 500,000 people were evacuated from the coastline. Only 2 people were killed, due to the small size of the storm, the few people in the area where it hit, and the evacuation orders.

Tropical Storm Eleven (11A)

From November 29 through December 4 a tropical storm existed south of India, peaking at 60 mph winds before dissipating over open waters due to vertical shear.

Tropical Storm Twelve (12A)

The final storm of the season developed from the near equatorial trough in the Arabian Sea on December 18. It tracked westward, becoming a tropical storm on the 20th and a peak of 60 mph winds on the 23rd. The storm hit Somalia the next day, bringing heavy yet beneficial rain to the dry country. 12A caused no reported damage.

1993 North Indian Ocean cyclone season

Cyclone One (1A)

On November 5, an area of convection organized into a tropical depression southwest of the southern tip of India. After moving towards the coast, it turned to the west, finally becoming a tropical storm on the 12th when it reached a favorable environment. After attaining cyclone strength on the 13th, it reached a peak of 90 mph winds. High vertical shear caused it to dissipate on the 16th over open waters.

Cyclone Two (2B)

A disturbance over the South China Sea developed into a tropical depression on November 27. It crossed the Malay Peninsula, slowly organizing into a tropical storm on the 1st. The storm continued westward, became a cyclone on the 3rd, and hit eastern India on the 4th. Cyclone Two weakened as it crossed the country, and dissipated on the 5th over the Arabian Sea.

1994 North Indian Ocean cyclone season

Tropical Storm One (1B)

On March 18, a disturbance became Tropical Depression 1B in the southeastern Bay of Bengal, just north of Sumatra. It tracked northwestward, becoming a tropical storm on the 22nd before turning southward and dissipating on the 25th.

Cyclone Two (2B)

A tropical depression formed in the southeastern Bay of Bengal on April 26. It followed a path and intensity very similar to the 1991 Bangladesh Cyclone, and became a tropical storm on the 29th. On the 30th it became a cyclone while turning north-northeastward, and on May 2 the cyclone reached a peak of 145 mph winds. It weakened to a 130 mph cyclone before hitting near the Bangladesh/Myanmar border later that day. Massive evacuation efforts and minor storm surge due to a low tide led to 285 casualties, a fraction of the similar 1991 cyclone that killed 138,000. It still caused flooding amounting to $125 million (1994 USD).

Tropical Storm Three (3A)

On June 5, a surface low organized into a tropical depression over western India. It moved to the west, becoming a tropical storm on the 7th and reached a peak of 50 mph later that day. The storm steadily weakened before dissipating over Oman on the 9th.

Tropical Storm Four (4B)

A tropical depression developed into a tropical depression over the western Bay of Bengal on October 28. It headed slowly westward, reaching tropical storm strength and a peak of 50 mph before hitting India and dissipating on the 31st.

Tropical Storm Five (5A)

An area of convection consolidated into Tropical Depression 5A on November 13 in the Arabian Sea. After moving northwestward, it turned to the west-southwest, strengthening to a tropical storm on the 16th and reaching a peak of 65 mph winds before hitting Somalia and dissipating on the 20th. balls

ee also

*List of North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons
*List of tropical cyclones
*Tropical cyclone
*Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
*Pacific hurricane seasons: 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994
*Atlantic hurricane seasons: 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994
*Pacific typhoon seasons: 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994

External links

* [https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc/atcr/atcr_archive.html JTWC Archive]