Tropical cyclones in 2022

Tropical cyclones in 2022
Year summary map
Year boundaries
First system	Cody
Formed	January 5, 2022
Strongest system
Name	Batsirai
Lowest pressure	934 mbar (hPa); 27.58 inHg
Longest lasting system
Name	Batsirai
Duration	16 days
Year statistics
Total systems	43
Named systems	20
Total fatalities	998 total
Total damage	> $842.63 million (2022 USD)
Related articles 2022 Atlantic hurricane season 2022 Pacific hurricane season 2022 Pacific typhoon season 2022 North Indian Ocean cyclone season 2021–22 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season 2022–23 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season 2021–22 Australian region cyclone season 2022–23 Australian region cyclone season 2021–22 South Pacific cyclone season 2022–23 South Pacific cyclone season

In 2022, tropical cyclones have formed in seven major bodies of water, commonly known as tropical cyclone basins. Tropical cyclones will be named by various weather agencies when they attain maximum sustained winds of 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph). So far, forty-three systems have formed, of which twenty were named. The strongest storm so far was Cyclone Batsirai, with maximum 10-minute sustained wind speeds of 195 km/h (120 mph) and a minimum pressure of 934 hPa (27.58 inHg). So far, the deadliest tropical cyclone of the year is Subtropical Depression Issa, having killed 450 in South Africa. Issa is also, so far, the costliest tropical cyclone of the year, amassing more than $389 million in damages.

Tropical cyclones are primarily monitored by a ten warning centers across the world, these centers are designated as a Regional Specialized Meteorological Center (RSMC) or a Tropical Cyclone Warning Center (TCWC) by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). These ten centers are the National Hurricane Center (NHC) and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC), Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Météo-France (MFR), Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG), the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), Papua New Guinea's National Weather Service (PNGNWS), the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) as well as New Zealand's MetService. Other notable warning centres include the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the United States's Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), and the Brazilian Navy Hydrographic Center.

Global atmospheric and hydrological conditions

Two tropical cyclones simultaneously active in the Southern Hemisphere on January 9: Cyclone Tiffany (left), nearing landfall in Queensland, Australia and the tropical depression which eventually became Cody (right), near Fiji.

The La Niña that started in the fourth quarter of 2021 is expected to continue into at least the first quarter of 2022, with a 87% chance of it persisting between the period of December 2021 to February 2022. On March 10, NOAA released an update on the ENSO conditions in the Pacific, in the update the La Niña is favored to continue into the Northern Hemisphere's summer with a 53% chance of it persisiting during June – August 2022 period, and with a 40 to 50% chance of La Niña or ENSO-neutral during the Northern Hemisphere's autumn.

Summary

Western Pacific Ocean

Further information: 2022 Pacific typhoon season

2022 Pacific typhoon season summary map

The Western Pacific Ocean typhoon season began on March 29, with the formation of a tropical depression in the southeast of Da Nang, Vietnam. A day later, the JTWC received by designation of Tropical Depression 01W to the system as it became classifiable east of the Indochina peninsula. 01W then later struck mainland Vietnam and dissipated shortly afterwards, causing minimal damages to property.

On April 6, a tropical depression formed near the Caroline Islands and slowly intensified into Tropical Depression 02W. Two days later, another tropical depression formed northwest of Palau which was then named Agaton by the PAGASA. A few days later, the system briefly intensified into a tropical storm and was named Megi by the JMA. 02W on the other hand, also strengthened into a tropical storm and was named Malakas by the JMA on April 18. Moreover, Malakas entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility and was given the name Basyang from the PAGASA. As Malakas intensified into a severe tropical storm and later into a typhoon, Megi made its first landfall on Calicoan Island. Megi then stalled over the Leyte Gulf allowing it to drop tremendous amounts of rainfall over the Visayas region. It then made its second landfall on Basey and Samar while it was slowly moving. Megi also affected much of the location where Typhoon Rai struck the same region four months prior, worsening its condition even further. As of April 22, Megi killed at least 178 and left 111 people missing in the Philippines mostly from numerous landslides and severe flooding. This made Megi the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded in the month of April in the Philippines. Megi then got assimilated into the outflow of the much larger Malakas, which then intensified to a Category-4 equivalent typhoon shy of super typhoon strength. Malakas then headed northeast towards Japan and struck the Bonin Islands before passing east of the country. It then transitioned into an extratropical cyclone by April 15. Its remnants later affected parts of Alaska.

North Indian Ocean

Further information: 2022 North Indian Ocean cyclone season

2022 North Indian Ocean cyclone season summary map

The Northern Indian Ocean cyclone season commenced on March 3 by the formation of Depression BOB 01 in the Southwest Bay of Bengal. It was a rare depression and only the ninth such system to form in the month of March since reliable records began in 1891. It was also the first system to form in the northern hemisphere. The depression peaked as a deep depression and dissipated on 6 March near the Indian coast. On March 20, another depression classified as BOB 02 formed in the Andaman Sea. It made landfall on Myanmar before dissipating. The season became the first season in the Indian Ocean basin to witness two systems forming during the month of March.

South-West Indian Ocean

January - June

2021–22 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season summary map

Further information: 2021–22 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season

On January 20, A zone of disturbed weather formed northeast of Madagascar making it the first system of the season. The storm then made landfall over Madagascar while it struggled to develop. After entering the Mozambique Channel, the system developed into Tropical Storm Ana which became the latest first named storm in the basin since the 1997–98 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season. Ana then made landfall over Mozambique and rapidly weakened. The storm killed 142 people and caused severe damage.

Shortly after Ana, Cyclone Batsirai formed northwest of Mauritius. It intensified into a Category 2 tropical cyclone but was downgraded back to a tropical storm status due to its eye collapsing. As Batsirai approached Réunion and Mauritius, the storm rapidly intensified into a high-end Category 4 cyclone which became the first major cyclone of the year. Batsirai then made severe landfall on Madagascar, destroying many buildings and disrupting power and communication services on the island. After landfall, Batsirai weakened as it travelled across Madagascar. The storm, in total killed at least 123 people. On February 7 at 06:00 UTC, Batsirai dissipated, but, later in the day, at 18:00 UTC, Batsirai reformed. However it transitioned into a post-tropical cyclone the next day.

During the beginning of February, Tropical Storm Cliff formed, however it dissipated two days later without affecting any landmass, with the closest being Diego Garcia. Later in the month, Tropical Storm Dumako formed. Dumako intensified into a Moderate Tropical Storm before making landfall over Madagascar which was already devastated by Cyclone Batsirai weeks prior. On February 15, Cyclone Emnati formed and made landfall on Southern Madagascar. A day later, Tropical Storm Fezile formed, which first originated from the Australian basin, however it struggled to maintain its structure and dissipated 2 days later. Meanwhile, Cyclone Vernon entered the MFR's area of responsibility, and Tropical Depression 08 formed. Due to the Fujiwara interaction with Vernon, 08 was dissipated on February 27, and Vernon stayed away from any landmass and dissipated on March 3 due to the loss of subtropical characteristics at the time.

During the month of March, a tropical depression formed northwards of Mauritius on March 5, and intensified to Cyclone Gombe as a Moderate Tropical Storm two days later. It made its first landfall on Northern Madagascar, and weakened into a tropical depression. The next day, Gombe intensified again as a Moderate Tropical Storm and further into an Intense Tropical Cyclone. It made its second landfall over Nampula Province before its final landfall in Mozambique and was downgraded as an Overland Depression two days later. On March 17, Gombe briefly reorganized itself as a tropical depression in the Mozambique Channel but dissipated thereafter. On March 20, Cyclone Halima formed and reached its peak intensity as a Category 4 tropical cyclone or an Intense tropical cyclone. It dissipated on April 1 without affecting any landmass.

During the month of April, a low pressure area formed off the southeast coast of South Africa on April 11. The next day, it intensified into an unofficially subtropical depression and was named Issa by the MFR. Issa caused catastrophic flooding in KwaZulu-Natal due to the heavy rain, the storm killed at least 450 people, and it is one of the deadliest storm of KwaZulu-Natal floods in the 21st century. Issa looped around the coast of South Africa before dissipated the next day weakening further.

Australian Region

January - June

2021–22 Australian region cyclone season summary map

Further information: 2021–22 Australian region cyclone season

The season began with Cyclone Seth and a tropical low from the Australian region, which persisted into 2022. The low dissipated on January 3, while Seth remained active until January 6. On January 9, Tropical Cyclone Tiffany formed, as a Category 1 tropical cyclone, becoming the first named storm in the basin. Tiffany first originated in the Gulf of Carpentaria before curving in the Coral Sea. Tiffany then struck Northern Queensland as a Category 1 tropical cyclone before traveling across Northern Australia where it dissipated. On January 13, 11U formed formed but dissipated the next day. On January 22, two more tropical lows formed where one dissipated a few days later, while the other low entered the South-West Indian Ocean basin where it intensified into Cyclone Batsirai. Additionally, four more tropical lows classified as 16U, 14U, 17U, and 18U formed. 14U dissipated on February 6, and 16U and 18U entered the South Pacific Basin. Later, on February 12, 17U dissipated. The next day, a new tropical low formed, and the BoM designated it as 19U and exited the basin. On February 23, Tropical Low 22U quickly developed and was named Tropical Cyclone Vernon. Afterward, the system underwent rapid intensification and peaked as a Category 4 severe tropical cyclone before interacting with another disturbance to the northwest. A day later, tropical low 20U was designated and 23U was monitored in the Timor Sea, which later became Tropical Cyclone Anika. Anika made landfall northeast of Kalumburu before the second landfall on Kimberley, and the third landfall east of Pardoo. Due to the brown ocean effect, Anika briefly develeped an inner cone and dissipated on March 3.

By the end of February, Tropical Depression 08 from the South-West Indian Ocean basin briefly moved westward while undergoing a Fujiwara interaction with Vernon. It was classified as 25U. A day later, 26U formed east of Christmas Island and attained tropical storm winds, but high easterly wind shear caused the system to disintegrate and dissipated south of Java in March 4.

On March 11, Tropical Storm Billy formed south of Java, but stayed away from any landmass and dissipated northwest of Australia. A few days later a tropical low developed over Indonesia and was named Charlotte. Charlotte reached its peak as a Category 4 tropical storm on the Australian scale before weakening.

On April 16, a tropical low formed near the Top End in the Gulf of Carpentaria. However it was short lived and dissipated three days later.

South Pacific Ocean

January - June

2021–22 South Pacific cyclone season summary map

Further information: 2021–22 South Pacific cyclone season

On January 5, a tropical disturbance which was designated as 03F formed and was named Cyclone Cody, making it the first system of 2022. Until the end of the month, three depressions classified as 04F, 05F, 06F formed. However, they were all short lived.

During the start of February, a tropical low from the Australian basin which was classified as 16U was reclassified as 07F after it entered the basin. The low then dissipated near New Caledonia. A few days later, another low from the Australian basin entered the basin which was then reclassified as 08F. The low then intensified into a Category 1 tropical cyclone on the Australian scale which was then named Dovi by the FMS. Dovi then intensified into its peak strength as a Category 4 severe tropical cyclone, before making landfall on New Zealand, causing minor flooding. Dovi also caused widespread flooding in the countries of Vanuatu and New Caledonia.

Two weeks later, a tropical disturbance formed west of Vanuatu and designated as 09F by FMS, and intensified as a Tropical Depression and made landfall in New Caledonia. On March 3, it was intensified as a Category 1 tropical cyclone and named it Eva. A day later, Eva began to weakening into Subtropical Depression and dissipated on March 5 due to the cooler waters and loss of subtropical characteristics.

South Atlantic Ocean

Further information: South Atlantic tropical cyclone

Systems

January

Cyclone Batsirai

January was very active, featuring eleven systems with four of them being named. Two systems from 2021, Cyclone Seth and a tropical low from the Australian region persisted into 2022. The first storm of the year started off with Cyclone Cody, which formed northwest of Fiji. The Australian basin saw the formation of Cyclone Tiffany, which affected much of Northern Queensland during the first week of the month. In the South-West Indian Ocean, Tropical Storm Ana became the latest first named storm in the basin, being officially named on January 23. It impacted Madagascar and a number of other Southern African countries with heavy rain. Ana was responsible for a total of 142 deaths. Following Ana, Cyclone Batsirai later formed becoming the second named storm in the basin. Batsirai then intensified into a high-end Intense Tropical Cyclone, or on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, a Category 4 tropical cyclone, becoming the first major tropical cyclone of the year as it passed Mauritius and Réunion. It then made landfall on Madagascar bringing heavy effects and distrubing power on the country and become the strongest storm for the month of January. The Southern Hemisphere also saw the formation of seven tropical lows, however most of them never affected any landmass.

Tropical cyclones formed in January 2022

Storm name	Dates active	Max wind km/h (mph)	Pressure (hPa)	Areas affected	Damage (USD)	Deaths	Ref(s)
Cody	January 5 – 13	130 (80)	971	Fiji	$25 million	1
Tiffany	January 8 – 17	95 (60)	989	Queensland, Northern Territory	$36,000	None
11U	January 13 – 14	Un­known	1008	None	None	None
04F	January 15 – 18	Un­known	999	Cook Islands	None	None
05F	January 19 – 22	Un­known	999	None	None	None
Ana	January 20 – 25	85 (50)	990	Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia	$25 million	142
TL	January 22 – 25	Un­known	1005	None	None	None
Batsirai	January 24 – February 8	195 (120)	934	Mauritius, Réunion, Madagascar	$190 million	123
06F	January 28 – 30	Un­known	1001	None	None	None
07F	January 29 – February 7	65 (40)	995	None	None	None
14U	January 30 – February 6	Un­known	1003	Western Australia	None	None

February

Cyclone Emnati

Cyclone Dovi

February was very active, featuring fifteen systems, with eight of them being named. The month started off with Tropical Storm Cliff which formed in the South-West Indian Ocean. Moreover, in the basin, Tropical Storm Dumako and Cyclone Emnati both made landfall on Madagascar, which was already devastated by Cyclone Batsirai a month prior. Additionally, Fezile entered the basin from the Australian basin. However, Fezile struggled to keep its structure due to wind shear and dissipated a few days later. The South Pacific basin saw the formation of Severe Tropical Cyclone Dovi along with a tropical disturbance classified as 07F, and Eva. Dovi intensified into a Category 4 cyclone on the Australian scale before making landfall on New Zealand as an extratropical storm. Dovi caused minor damage on the country along with Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Both Cyclones Dovi and Emnati became the strongest storm for the month of February. In the Australian region, Cyclones Vernon and Anika developed near the end of the month. Anika made landfall in Kimberley, while Vernon stayed away from any landmass.

Tropical cyclones formed in February 2022

Storm name	Dates active	Max wind km/h (mph)	Pressure (hPa)	Areas affected	Damage (USD)	Deaths	Ref(s)
Cliff	February 3 – 5	75 (45)	994	None	None	None
17U	February 5 – 14	Un­known	Un­known	None	None	None
Dovi	February 6 – 12	175 (110)	940	Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, New Zealand	$80 million	None
Dumako	February 10 – 18	85 (50)	993	Madagascar, Mozambique	$1 million	14
19U	February 13 – 16	55 (35)	999	None	None	None
Emnati	February 15 – 24	175 (110)	940	Mauritius, Réunion, Madagascar	$1 million	15
Fezile	February 16 – 18	75 (45)	980	None	None	None
20U	February 17 – 19	Un­known	Un­known	None	None	None
Vernon	February 23 – March 3	195 (120)	950	None	None	None
21U	February 24 – March 1	Un­known	Un­known	Northern Queensland	None	None
Anika	February 24 – March 3	95 (60)	987	Northern Territory, Western Australia	None	None
Eva	February 26 – March 5	65 (40)	995	Vanuatu, New Caledonia	None	None
08	February 23 – 27	55 (35)	998	None	None	None
25U	February 26 – 27	Un­known	Un­known	None	None	None
26U	February 27 – March 4	65 (40)	Un­known	None	None	None

March

Cyclone Halima

March was slightly below-average, featuring eight systems, with four of them being named. On March 3, Depression BOB 01 started off the 2022 North Indian Ocean cyclone season unusually early when it formed in the Bay of Bengal and is only the ninth such system to form in the month of March since reliable records began in 1891. BOB 01 was also the first tropical cyclone to form in the Northern Hemisphere in 2022. Similarly, BOB 02 also formed on March 20, becoming the only season in the Indian Ocean basin to witness two systems in the month of March. In the Australian region, Tropical Cyclone Billy formed on March 11, but remained out to sea and dissipated on March 17, as well as Cyclone Charlotte form on March 15, which rapidly intensified into a Category 2-equivalent cyclone before weakening and dissipating eleven days later. A tropical low formed near Christmas Island at the end of the month. In the South-West Indian Ocean, Cyclone Gombe formed on March 5 and impacted Madagascar, Mozambique, Malawi and dissipated on March 17, killing 72 people in those nations. The South-West Indian Ocean saw its fifth Intense Tropical Cyclone of the year when Cyclone Halima also rapidly intensified into a Category 4-equivalent storm. Halima became the strongest storm for the month of March. The Western Pacific Ocean typhoon season began on March 29, with the formation of a tropical depression to the southeast of Da Nang, Vietnam, and was received the designation "01W" by JTWC, but shortly landfall in Vietnam before it dissipated a day later.

Tropical cyclones formed in March 2022

Storm name	Dates active	Max wind km/h (mph)	Pressure (hPa)	Areas affected	Damage (USD)	Deaths	Ref(s)
BOB 01	March 3 – 6	55 (35)	1002	Sri Lanka	None	None
Gombe	March 5 – 17	165 (105)	960	Madagascar, Mozambique, Malawi	$95 million	72
Billy	March 11 – 17	85 (50)	991	None	None	None
Charlotte	March 15 – 26	165 (105)	956	Lesser Sunda Islands	None	None
BOB 02	March 20 – 23	55 (35)	1000	Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Myanmar	None	None
Halima	March 20 – April 1	195 (120)	939	None	None	None
01W	March 29 – 31	55 (35)	1006	Vietnam	Minimal	1
30U	March 30 – April 1	Un­known	Un­known	None	None	None

April

Typhoon Malakas

So far in April, seven systems have formed, with four of them being named. On April 3, Tropical Cyclone Fili formed in the Coral Sea. It approached the island of New Caledonia before weakening. The Western Pacific Ocean basin saw the formation of Typhoon Malakas which made it the first named storm in the basin. Malakas formed near the Caroline Islands before slowly strengthening into to typhoon three days later. On the same day, Malakas entered the PAR, which was then named Basyang by the PAGASA. Malakas reached its peak intensity as a Category 4 typhoon and is currently the strongest storm for the month of April and in the Western Pacific Basin. Malakas affected the Bonin Islands before accelerating north-eastward towards Japan and transitioned into an extratropical cyclone by April 15. A few days later, a tropical depression formed near Palau. The storm was named Megi by the JMA and classified as Agaton by the PAGASA. Despite its short duration, Megi devastated much of the Eastern Visayas Region which was already struck by Typhoon Rai four months prior. Megi moved very slowly during most of its lifespan and dissipated on April 13 due to its interaction with Malakas. In the Australian region, two short lived tropical lows formed but dissipated without reaching any landmass. On April 12, an unusual subtropical depression formed off the coast of South Africa which was named Issa by the MFR. The storm brought heavy rainfall and severe flooding to the province of KwaZulu-Natal.

Tropical cyclones formed in April 2022

Storm name	Dates active	Max wind km/h (mph)	Pressure (hPa)	Areas affected	Damage (USD)	Deaths	Ref(s)
Fili	April 3 – 9	110 (70)	977	New Caledonia	None	None
Malakas (Basyang)	April 6 – 15	155 (100)	950	Caroline Islands, Bonin Islands	None	None
Megi (Agaton)	April 8 – 13	65 (40)	998	Philippines	$85.6 million	178
32U	April 8 – 9	Un­known	Un­known	None	None	None
Issa	April 12 – 13	95 (60)	994	South Africa	>$389 million	450
33U	April 16 – 19	45 (30)	1005	Northern Territory	None	None
12	April 21 – present	45 (30)	1005	Comoros, Mozambique	None	None

Global effects

Here are a total of 7 tropical cyclone basins that tropical cyclones typically form in. In this table, data from all these basins are added.

Season name	Areas affected	Systems formed	Named storms	Damage (USD)	Deaths	Ref
2022 Atlantic hurricane season4	None	0	0	None	None
2022 Pacific hurricane season4	None	0	0	None	None
2022 Pacific typhoon season2	Vietnam, Caroline Islands, Bonin Islands, Philippines	3	2	>$85.6 million	179
2022 North Indian Ocean cyclone season3	Sri Lanka, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Myanmar, Thailand	2	0	None	None
2021–22 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season1	Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Réunion, Zambia, Comoros	12	10	>$701 million	816
2021–22 Australian region cyclone season1	Queensland, Northern Territory, Christmas Island, Solomon Islands, Western Australia	20	6	>$36,000	2
2021–22 South Pacific cyclone season1	Fiji, Cook Islands, Niue, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Norfolk Island, New Zealand	8	4	>$56 million	1
Worldwide	(See above)	43	20	>$842.63 million	998

See also

• Weather of 2022
• Tropical cyclones by year
• List of earthquakes in 2022
• Tornadoes in 2022

Notes

¹ Only systems that formed either on or after January 1, 2022 are counted in the seasonal totals.
² Only systems that formed either before or on December 31, 2022 are counted in the seasonal totals.
³ The wind speeds for this tropical cyclone/basin are based on the IMD Scale which uses 3-minute sustained winds.
⁴ The wind speeds for this tropical cyclone/basin are based on the Saffir Simpson Scale which uses 1-minute sustained winds.
⁵ The wind speeds for this tropical cyclone are based on Météo-France, which uses wind gusts.

External links

Regional Specialized Meteorological Centers

• US National Hurricane Center. (RSMC Miami) – North Atlantic, Eastern Pacific
• Central Pacific Hurricane Center (RSMC Honolulu) – Central Pacific
• Japan Meteorological Agency (RSMC Tokyo) – West Pacific
• India Meteorological Department (RSMC New Delhi) – Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea
• Météo-France – La Reunion (RSMC La Réunion) – South-West Indian Ocean from 30°E to 90°E
• Fiji Meteorological Service (RSMC Nadi) – South Pacific, west of 160°E, north of 25° S

Tropical Cyclone Warning Centers

• Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency of Indonesia (TCWC Jakarta) – South Indian Ocean from 90°E to 141°E, generally north of 10°S
• Australian Bureau of Meteorology (TCWC Melbourne) – South Indian Ocean & South Pacific Ocean from 90°E to 160°E, generally south of 10°S
• Papua New Guinea National Weather Service (TCWC Port Moresby) – South Pacific Ocean from 141°E to 160°E, generally north of 10°S
• Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited (TCWC Wellington) – South Pacific west of 160°E, south of 25°S

Other Warning Centres

• Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration – Monitors the West Pacific
• Brazilian Navy Hydrography Center - Marine Meteorological Service – Monitors the South Atlantic
• US Joint Typhoon Warning Centre – Monitors the East Pacific, Central Pacific, West Pacific, South Pacific, North Indian Ocean and South-West Indian Ocean