2000 Sri Lanka cyclone
| Extremely severe cyclonic storm (IMD scale) | |
|---|---|
| Category 3 (Saffir–Simpson scale) | |
Cyclone 04B at peak intensity near landfall
|
|
| Formed | December 23, 2000 |
| Dissipated | December 28, 2000 |
| Highest winds |
3-minute sustained: 165 km/h (105 mph) 1-minute sustained: 195 km/h (120 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 970 hPa (mbar); 28.64 inHg |
| Fatalities | 9 direct, 8 missing |
| Areas affected | Sri Lanka, southern India |
| Part of the 2000 North Indian Ocean cyclone season | |
The 2000 Sri Lanka cyclone (IMD designation: BOB 06 JTWC designation: 04B) was the strongest tropical cyclone to strike Sri Lanka since 1978. The fourth tropical storm and the second severe cyclonic storm of the 2000 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, it developed from an area of disturbed weather on December 25, 2000. It moved westward, and quickly strengthened under favorable conditions to reach top wind speeds of 75 mph (120 km/h). The cyclone hit eastern Sri Lanka at peak strength, then weakened slightly while crossing the island before hitting and dissipating over southern India on December 28.
The storm was the first cyclone over Sri Lanka with winds of at least hurricane strength since a 110 mph (175 km/h) cyclone hit in the 1978 season, as well as the first tropical storm to hit the island since 1992. The storm was also the first December tropical cyclone of hurricane intensity in the Bay of Bengal since 1996. It produced heavy rainfall and strong winds, damaging or destroying tens of thousands of houses and leaving up to 500,000 homeless. At least nine people died as a result of the cyclone.
An area of atmospheric convection developed and persisted on December 21 in the central Bay of Bengal forming within an active near-equatorial trough. Located within an area of weak vertical wind shear, the system steadily organized, and after initially remaining nearly stationary it began to move slowly westward. Deep convection continued to develop, and on December 23 a mid-level circulation began to form. Later that day, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert. By the night of the December 23, a low-level circulation developed in the system, located to the south of the deep convection. The disturbance continued to organize, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) classifying it as a deep depression early on December 24. Later that day, the organization of the system degraded slightly, though it quickly reorganized. On December 25, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center initiated advisories on Tropical Cyclone 04B while it was located about 155 miles (250 km) east of Sri Lanka. On the center's first advisory, the tropical storm was drifting west-northwest at 3 mph (5 km/h) with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (70 km/h). Shortly thereafter, the IMD upgraded the deep depression to a cyclonic storm as a central dense overcast developed over the center.
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