Everything about 1970 North Indian Ocean Cyclone Season totally explained
| Cyclonic Storm strength classification |
| Category |
ind speed |
|
Knots (km/h) |
|
| Deep Depression |
28–33
(52–61) |
| Cyclonic Storm |
34–47
(62–87) |
| Severe Cyclonic Storm |
≥48 (≥88) |
The
1970 North Indian Ocean cyclone season had no bounds, but
tropical cyclones in the North
Indian Ocean tend to form between April and December, with peaks in May and November. The 1970 season saw a total of 7 cyclonic storms, of which 3 developed into severe cyclonic storms. The
Bay of Bengal was more active than the
Arabian Sea during 1970, with all of the 3 severe cyclonic storms in the season forming there. Unusually, none of the storms in the Arabian Sea made
landfall this year. The most significant storm of the season was the
Bhola cyclone, which formed in the Bay of Bengal and hit
Bangladesh on
November 12. The storm killed over 500,000 people, making it the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded.
Storms
Severe Cyclonic Storm One
A low pressure area that developed over the southern
Andaman Sea late in April moved north into the
Bay of Bengal becoming the first depression of the year on
May 2. The depression intensified under the influence of a high-level anticyclone and became a cyclonic storm the next day. The storm then turned to the northeast and strengthened into a severe cyclonic storm on
May 4. Soon after this, it peaked with winds of 150 km/h (90 mph) and a well-defined
eye formed. The storm made its
landfall near
Cox's Bazar in easternmost
East Pakistan (now
Bangladesh) early in the morning of
May 7 and dissipated over western
Burma that evening.
The cyclone brought widespread rain to the
Andaman and
Nicobar Islands before it moved clear of them on
May 3. Effects in East Pakistan are unknown, but
Akyab in western Burma reported winds of 55 km/h (35 mph) as the cyclone approached land.
Depression Two
A depression formed in the northeast of the Bay of Bengal on during the morning of
May 23 near the
East Pakistan coast. It moved towards the coast and made landfall to the south of
Cox's Bazar that night, before dissipating over southern
Assam the next day.
The cyclone itself had minimal effects on land, but the monsoon advanced into western India in late May in association with the system. As the cyclone moved to the west away from the subcontinent, the incursion of moist air from the Arabian Sea persisted over northwestern India for the first three days of June. This brought moderate rainfall to regions of
Gujarat,
Rajasthan and western
Madhya Pradesh.
Sustained winds of 65 km/h (40 mph) were recorded at Sandheads on
June 9, while the cyclone was at its peak offshore. High levels of rain affected much of Orissa and
West Bengal, with over 100 mm (4 inches) falling over large areas of both states. As the storm dissipated overland, it brought severe rain to
Vidarbha and southern
Madhya Pradesh. The highest recorded rainfall was at
Khandwa were 280 mm (11 inches) fell on
June 13 alone. The rains led to localised flooding in parts of Vidarbha and disrupted road transport in the region.
The depression brought intense monsoon conditions to Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and
Vidarbha during its life. Over 210 mm (8 inches) of rain and winds of 85 km/h (50 mph) were recorded in
Paradip as the depression made landfall on
June 30. Inland, the heavy rains caused some rivers in Orissa to overflow and flooded rice paddies in
Cuttack District. Further west, the
Wainganga River overflowed its banks in places. Road transport in Madhya Pradesh was disrupted and there was damage to crops in the
Raipur area. Raipur recorded the highest 24 hour rains associated with the depression, with 230 mm (9 inches) falling there on
July 2.
Winds of 55 km/h (30 mph) were recorded offshore at Sandheads when the system was at its peak. The depression brought isolated heavy rains to many places throughout
East India, with rains in excess of 100 mm (4 inches) falling every day from the depression's landfall until the absorption of the remnant low.
The depression and associated weather brought widespread rain to much of south and central India, with heavy rain falling in some locations. The heavy rain in
Maharashtra disrupted road transport in many areas, especially in the east of the state. The
Godavari River inundated parts of
Bhadrachalam and many villages in regions of
Andhra Pradesh. The rains also damaged rice paddies and disrupted transport in
Telangana. Rains associated with the depression reached as far west as
Bombay with 200 mm (8 inches) falling there on
August 19. On
September 8, the system turned to the southwest and emerged into the
Arabian Sea the following evening. Over water it intensified again, becoming a cyclonic storm by the evening of
September 10. The cyclone developed a short-lived
eye on
September 11 as it drifted slowly to the west, before degenerating into a broad area of low pressure as it neared the
Oman coast on
September 14.
The depression brought widespread rain to West Bengal,
Orissa, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and
Madhya Pradesh during its lifespan, with rains of 140 mm (5.5 inches) as far west as Lucknow. The rains in Uttar Pradesh caused severe property damage and flooding, with some 150 people losing their lives in the state. The
Ganges flooded in northern Bihar, inundating parts of
Munger District, whilst the
Gandaki River flooded parts of
Motihari. The rains worsened floods in south Bengal, increasing the death toll from the floods there to 80 and affecting 8 million people, with considerable damage done to crops and housing.
Jaleswar in Orissa was entirely flooded.
The depression brought widespread rain to northern
South India as it passed over the country and its remnants brought scattered rain to Gujarat over the following week. Over a period of 4 hours, heavy rain fell on
Hyderabad and
Secunderabad, destroying many houses in the two cities. About 130 mm (5 inches) of rain fell on
Bombay as the system dissipated. The heavy rains claimed about 75 lives.
Severe Cyclonic Storm Twelve
A depression formed on
October 18 in the central
Bay of Bengal and moved to the north. It gradually intensified and turned to the northeast, becoming a cyclonic storm on
October 20. The storm became the second severe cyclonic storm of the season the following day, and turned onto a more northerly track towards the
Ganges Delta. The storm peaked with winds of 130 km/h (80 mph) before it made
landfall near the
West Bengal-
East Pakistan border during the morning of
October 23. The storm then crossed over East Pakistan, before dissipating over southern
Assam on
October 24.
This cyclone brought widespread rain to
Tamil Nadu as it formed and to the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands as it moved over the Bay of Bengal. After its landfall it brought severe rains to West Bengal, Assam and East Pakistan. The highest recorded rainfall in India was at
Shillong where 220 mm (8.6 inches) fell on
October 24. A gust of 105 km/h (65 mph) was recorded in
Calcutta as the storm passed by to the east, where it caused the failure of the power supply.
Severe Cyclonic Storm Thirteen (Bhola cyclone)
On the morning of
November 8 a depression formed in the south-central Bay of Bengal. It moved very slowly to the north, becoming a cyclonic storm the next day. It continued to intensify as it approached the head of the Bay, becoming the third severe cyclonic storm of the season on
November 11. That evening it reached its peak with winds of 185 km/h (115 mph) with a well-developed
eye and became the strongest storm of the season. It then made
landfall on the coast of
East Pakistan during the night of
November 12. The cyclone weakened rapidly as it moved inland and dissipated the next day over south
Assam.
This cyclone brought a devastating
storm surge of up to 10 metres (33 ft) high to the
Ganges Delta. Largely as a result of this surge somewhere between 300,000 and 500,000 people lost their lives, making this storm the deadliest
tropical cyclone ever recorded and one of the deadliest
natural disasters of modern times. The total damage from the storm exceeded $85 million (1970
USD, $450 million 2006 USD) and much of the agricultural and fishing capacity of the region was wiped out. In total some 3.6 million people suffered direct effects from this cyclone.
The
Pakistani government was severely criticised for its handling of the relief operations following the storm, both by local political leaders in East Pakistan and in the international media. In the December national elections, the opposition
Awami League gained a
landslide victory, gaining 160 of the 162 East Pakistani seats. Continuing unrest between East Pakistanis and the central government trigged the
Bangladesh Liberation War, which concluded with the creation of the state of
Bangladesh. This is one of the first times that a natural event helped to trigger a civil war.
Deep Depression Fourteen
A low pressure that had developed over the south
Andaman Sea moved west across the southern
Bay of Bengal and concentrated into a depression on the morning of
November 19, when it was about 600 km (400 miles) southeast of
Madras. The system intensified further into a deep depression as it moved west-northwest and hit the
Tamil Nadu the following day. The depression weakened into a remnant low over Tamil Nadu.
The depression brought widespread rain to much of Tamil Nadu, with heavy rain hitting the coastal regions. Low-lying coastal regions from
Pondicherry to Atirampattinam. There was damage to crops and housing in
Thanjavur District and the rains left thousands homeless in Madras.
Cuddalore experienced exceptionally heavy rains with over 440 mm (17 inches) falling there, of which 310 mm (12 inches) fell on
November 20 alone.
The cyclone brought widespread rain to the
Laccadives from
November 22 to
November 24, with 60 mm (2.4 inches) recorded on
Amini on
November 23.
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