A look at the major tropical cyclones over past two decades

#Amphan #Cyclones

The Machilipatnam cyclone killed almost one thousand persons with a damage of $600 million
Super cyclonic storm Gonu, 2007 was the strongest cyclone on record in the Arabian Sea with wind speed of 240 km/h (150 mph)
Fani killed approximately 72 people in Odisha and 17 in Bangladesh

Written By:Chandandeep

Updated: June 24 2020 11:55:01 PM ET New Delhi, Delhi, India

Indian coastal states are highly prone to tropical cyclones that disrupt livelihoods almost every year. Various cyclones have hit the country over past years, with some causing severe damage, the latest being Amphan.

Here is a list of major tropical cyclones that have hit India and other countries over the past two decades:

1. 1990 Andhra Pradesh Cyclone: The Machilipatnam cyclone or 1990 Andhra Pradesh Cyclone was a Super cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 230 km/h (145 mph) killed almost one thousand persons with a damage of $600 million.

2. 1991 Bangladesh Cyclone: The Super cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 240 km/h (150 mph) was among the deadliest cyclones on record. It did damage of over $1.9 billion, killing more than 135,000 people

3. 1999 Odisha Cyclone: It was the strongest cyclone recorded in the North Indian Ocean that hit Odisha with 3-minute sustained winds of 260 km/h (160 mph), categorised as a Super cyclonic storm. The storm killed almost 10,000 people and more than 3.5 lakh houses were washed away. The damage to the state’s infrastructure was so severe that Odisha went out of contact with the rest of the world for an entire day.

4. Gonu: Super cyclonic storm Gonu, 2007 was the strongest cyclone on record in the Arabian Sea with wind speed of 240 km/h (150 mph). It affected areas of Oman, Pakistan, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Gonu caused 50 deaths and about $4.2 billion economic damage in Oman and 28 deaths and $216 million economic damage in Iran.

5. Fani: Extremely severe cyclone Fani hit the coasts of Odisha almost a year ago with wind speeds of 215 km/h (130 mph). Fani killed approximately 72 people in Odisha and 17 in Bangladesh. Most of the damage was caused in Odisha due to Fani, however, it did economic damage worth over $8 billion in both India and Bangladesh.

6. Kyarr: Kyarr, 2019 was an extremely powerful tropical cyclone, categorised as a Super cyclonic storm which affected states of India such as Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa. Kyarr also affected Pakistan, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. However, no fatalities were reported due to the storm.