In the Indian Ocean north of the equator, tropical cyclones can form throughout the year on either side of India. On the east side is the Bay of Bengal, and on the west side is the Arabian Sea.
The Bay of Bengal, located in the northeast of the Indian Ocean, is responsible for the formation of some of the strongest and deadliest tropical cyclones in the world. The basin is abbreviated BOB by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the official Regional Specialized Meteorological Center of the basin. The Bay of Bengal's coast is shared among India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and western part of Thailand. The strongest storm in the bay was the 1999 Odisha cyclone.
The Arabian Sea is a sea located in the northwest of the Indian Ocean. Tropical cyclones in the basin are abbreviated ARB by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the official Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre (RSMC) of the basin. The Arabian Sea's coast is shared among India, Yemen, Oman, Iran, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Somalia.Monsoons are characteristic of the Arabian Sea and responsible for the yearly cycling of its waters. In summer, strong winds blow from the southwest to the northeast, bringing rain to the Indian subcontinent. During the winter, the winds are milder and blow in the opposite direction, from the northeast to the southwest. Cyclones are rare in the Arabian Sea, but the basin can produce strong tropical cyclones. Super Cyclonic Storm Gonu was the strongest recorded tropical cyclone in the basin. However, storms typically do not reach a high intensity in the Arabian Sea due to the small amount of water, dry air coming from the desert of the Arabian Peninsula, and unfavorable wind shear from the monsoon.