Typhoon Gay (1989)
| Super cyclonic storm (IMD scale) | |
|---|---|
| Category 5 (Saffir–Simpson scale) | |
Typhoon Gay at peak intensity shortly before its landfall in India
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| Formed | 1 November 1989 |
| Dissipated | 10 November 1989 |
| Highest winds |
3-minute sustained: 230 km/h (145 mph) 1-minute sustained: 260 km/h (160 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 930 hPa (mbar); 27.46 inHg |
| Fatalities | 902 deaths, 134 missing |
| Damage | $521 million (1989 USD) |
| Areas affected | Thailand, India |
| Part of the 1989 Pacific typhoon season 1989 North Indian Ocean cyclone season |
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Typhoon Gay, also known as the Kavali Cyclone of 1989, was a small but powerful tropical cyclone that caused more than 800 fatalities in and around the Gulf of Thailand in November 1989. The worst typhoon to affect the Malay Peninsula in 35 years, Gay originated from a monsoon trough over the Gulf of Thailand in early November. Owing to favorable atmospheric conditions, the storm rapidly intensified, attaining winds of more than 120 km/h (75 mph) by November 3. Later that day, Gay became the first typhoon since 1891 to make landfall in Thailand, striking Chumphon Province with winds of 185 km/h (115 mph). The small storm emerged into the Bay of Bengal and gradually reorganized over the following days as it approached southeastern India. On 8 November, Gay attained its peak intensity as a Category 5–equivalent cyclone with winds of 260 km/h (160 mph). The typhoon then moved ashore near Kavali, Andhra Pradesh. Rapid weakening ensued inland, and Gay dissipated over Maharashtra early on 10 November.
The typhoon's rapid development took hundreds of vessels in the Gulf of Thailand by surprise, leading to 275 offshore fatalities. Of these, 91 occurred after an oil drilling ship, the Seacrest, capsized amid 6–11 m (20–36 ft) swells. Across the Malay Peninsula, 588 people died from various storm-related incidents. Several towns in coastal Chumphon were destroyed. Losses throughout Thailand totaled ฿11 billion (US$497 million). Striking India as a powerful cyclone, Gay damaged or destroyed about 20,000 homes in Andhra Pradesh, leaving 100,000 people homeless. In that country, 69 deaths and ₹410 million (US$25.3 million) in damage were attributed to Gay.
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