1971 Odisha cyclone

The 1971 Odisha cyclone was a devastating tropical cyclone that struck the Indian state of Odisha (known as Orissa at the time) on October 29, 1971. The cyclone also affected the Indian state of West Bengal as well as East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh), which had been devastated by the 1970 Bhola cyclone just less than a year prior and was in the middle of Bangladesh Liberation War.

1971 Odisha cyclone
Extremely severe cyclonic storm (IMD scale)
Category 3 tropical cyclone (SSHWS)
1971 Odisha cyclone, pictured by ESSA 9 weather satellite
FormedOctober 27, 1971
DissipatedOctober 31, 1971
Highest winds3-minute sustained: 165 km/h (105 mph)
1-minute sustained: 185 km/h (115 mph)
Lowest pressure966 hPa (mbar); 28.53 inHg
Fatalities≥ 10,000 total
Areas affectedIndia and East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh)
Part of the 1971 North Indian Ocean cyclone season

Meteorological history
Map plotting the storm's track and intensity, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
Map key
Saffir–Simpson scale
  Tropical depression (≤38 mph, ≤62 km/h)
  Tropical storm (39–73 mph, 63–118 km/h)
  Category 1 (74–95 mph, 119–153 km/h)
  Category 2 (96–110 mph, 154–177 km/h)
  Category 3 (111–129 mph, 178–208 km/h)
  Category 4 (130–156 mph, 209–251 km/h)
  Category 5 (≥157 mph, ≥252 km/h)
  Unknown
Storm type
triangle Extratropical cyclone, remnant low, tropical disturbance, or monsoon depression

This tropical cyclone formed on October 26. Within few hours after its formation, due to the presence of highly favorable conditions, the cyclone underwent rapid intensification, becoming an extremely severe cyclonic storm and Category 3 equivalent cyclone in one and three minute mean windspeeds on 29 October. At the time, the storm's central pressure was 966 hPa. At its peak intensity, the storm made landfall on the coast of Odisha near Paradip early on the morning of October 30 and weakened the same day.[1] It then curved northeast and dissipated on October 31.

Impact

The storm surge flooded low lying areas of the Odisha coast, resulting in more than 10,000 deaths and killing 50,000 cattle.[2] Hundreds of thousands of trees were uprooted. The cyclone destroyed more than 800,000 houses. Communications and power lines were cut for days, preventing news of the disaster from reaching the outside world. Coastal districts of Odisha such as Bhadrak, Balasore, Cuttack and Jagatsinghpur were widely affected by this cyclone, since gusts were recorded to be up to 175 kph (108-110mph) there.[3]

See also

References
  1. "Historical records of Severe Cyclones which formed in the Bay of Bengal and made landfall at the eastern coast of India during the period from 1970-1999". India Meteorological Department. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  2. "History of Cyclone". Odisha State Disaster Management Authories. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  3. "Essay on Super Cyclone in Orissa". preservearticles.com. June 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
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