2001 India cyclone
| Extremely severe cyclonic storm (IMD scale) | |
|---|---|
| Category 3 (Saffir–Simpson scale) | |
The cyclone at peak intensity on May 24
|
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| Formed | May 21, 2001 |
| Dissipated | May 29, 2001 |
| Highest winds |
3-minute sustained: 215 km/h (135 mph) 1-minute sustained: 205 km/h (125 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 932 hPa (mbar); 27.52 inHg |
| Fatalities | 120–900 dead or missing |
| Damage | Minimal |
| Areas affected | Western India |
| Part of the 2001 North Indian Ocean cyclone season | |
The 2001 India cyclone was the second strongest tropical cyclone, in terms of barometric pressure, to form in the Arabian Sea on record; only Cyclone Gonu in 2007 was stronger. The storm originated from a tropical disturbance that formed east of Somalia on May 18. Over the following few days, the system gradually organized into a tropical depression. Tracking eastward, towards the coastline of southwestern India, the storm slowly intensified. Shortly before reaching shore, the system turned north and later west, away from land. After taking this turn, the storm intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm, attaining its peak intensity on May 24 with winds of 215 km/h (135 mph 3-minute winds) and a barometric pressure of 932 mbar (hPa). At the time, this ranked the cyclone as the strongest known storm in the Arabian Sea.
After stalling several hundred kilometres offshore, the storm weakened over cooler waters that it had upwelled. By May 27, the system weakened to a cyclonic storm and by this time was approaching the northwestern coastline of India, near Gujarat. The following day, the storm made landfall in the Saurashtra region as a deep depression with winds of 55 km/h (35 mph 3-minute winds). The depression quickly weakened after moving inland and dissipated early on May 29.
Although a powerful cyclone over water, the storm had relatively little impact over land. In the Valsad district, two coastal communities lost a combined 200 homes due to large swells produced by the storm. However, the losses were more extensive offshore. Between 120 and 900 fishermen were listed as missing after contact was lost with their vessels during the storm.
The origins of the 2001 India cyclone can be traced to a tropical disturbance over the Arabian Sea on May 18. The following day, the system was determined to be relatively stationary near the island of Socotra. Although deep convection was associated with the disturbance, there was no evidence of a low-level circulation. By May 20, the disturbance slowly moved towards the southeast in response to an upper-level trough over India. The overall structure gradually improved as good outflow developed. A mid-level circulation finally developed late on May 21, prompting the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) to issue a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert. Several hours later, they began monitoring the system as a tropical depression with the identifier 01A; however, operational advisories were not issued until the cyclone was estimated to have attained tropical storm intensity. By the morning of May 22, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) also took notice of the system.
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Wikipedia