2004 Myanmar cyclone
| Extremely severe cyclonic storm (IMD scale) | |
|---|---|
| Category 1 (Saffir–Simpson scale) | |
Satellite image of the cyclone offshore Myanmar
|
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| Formed | May 16, 2004 |
| Dissipated | May 19, 2004 |
| Highest winds |
3-minute sustained: 165 km/h (105 mph) 1-minute sustained: 120 km/h (75 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 952 hPa (mbar); 28.11 inHg |
| Fatalities | 236 total |
| Damage | $99.2 million (2004 USD) |
| Areas affected | Odisha, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Yunnan |
| Part of the 2004 North Indian Ocean cyclone season | |
The 2004 Myanmar cyclone was considered the worst to strike the country since 1968. The second tropical cyclone of the 2004 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, it formed as a depression on May 16 in the central Bay of Bengal. With low wind shear and a surge in the monsoon trough, the storm intensified while meandering over open waters. The storm eventually began a steady northeastward motion due to a ridge to the north over India. While approaching land, an eye developed in the center of the storm, indicative of a strong cyclone. On May 19, the cyclone made landfall along northwestern Myanmar near Sittwe, with maximum sustained winds estimated at 165 km/h (105 mph) by the India Meteorological Department. The storm rapidly weakened over land, although its remnants spread rainfall into northern Thailand and Yunnan province in China.
Winds from the cyclone reached 157 km/h (98 mph) in Myanmar, occurring in conjunction with heavy rainfall and a high storm surge. Despite the storm's ferocity, the government did not report about the cyclone for ten days, as they usually under-report on landfalling storms. The cyclone caused heavy damage throughout Rakhine State, destroying or heavily damaging 4,035 homes and leaving 25,000 people homeless. There was widespread crop damage, resulting in food shortages, and damaged roads disrupted subsequent relief efforts. Damage in Myanmar totaled over K621 million kyat ($99.2 million USD), making it the worst storm in the country since 1968, and there were 236 deaths, with an unofficial death toll as high as 1,000. Although damage was heaviest in Myanmar, the cyclone's effects also spread into neighboring Bangladesh, where strong winds knocked over trees and capsized two ships.
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