The 1976 North Indian Ocean cyclone season was part of the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation. The season has no official bounds but cyclones tend to form between April and December. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northern Indian Ocean. There are two main seas in the North Indian Ocean—the Bay of Bengal to the east of the Indian subcontinent and the Arabian Sea to the west of India. The official Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre in this basin is the India Meteorological Department (IMD), while the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) releases unofficial advisories. An average of five tropical cyclones form in the North Indian Ocean every season with peaks in May and November.[1] Cyclones occurring between the meridians 45°E and 100°E are included in the season by the IMD.[2]
Systems
Late April/Early May Bay of Bengal cyclone
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
Duration
April 29 – May 2
Peak intensity
95 km/h (60 mph) (1-min);
June Arabian Sea cyclone
Extremely severe cyclonic storm (IMD)
Category 2 tropical cyclone (SSHWS)
Duration
May 31 – June 6
Peak intensity
165 km/h (105 mph) (3-min);
This system was formed on 31 May. The storm intensified till Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm and Category 2 equivalent cyclone within next two days. On 3 June, the storm made landfall at Saurashtra coast of Gujarat. Maximum gust winds in ocean was recorded upto 175 kmph by the ship Haakon Magnus at the day of landfall. 70 people and 4,500 cattle were perished due to the storm. 51 villages and 25,000 houses were damaged due to the storm. Total damages in Indian Rupees were estimated to be 3 crores.
September Bay of Bengal cyclone
Very severe cyclonic storm (IMD)
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
Duration
September 6 – September 19
Peak intensity
120 km/h (75 mph) (3-min);
This system was formed on 9 September and reached its peak intensity of Very Severe Cyclonic Storm and Tropical Storm on the next day itself. It was due to the rapid intensification. Then the storm made landfall at Contai in West Bengal on September 11. It's remnants tracked until Madhya Pradesh and dissipated on 16 September. The storm killed 40 people and 4,000 cattle. Upto 1.25 lakh hectares crops were damaged in India. Contai had gust winds as high as 155 kmph at the time of landfall. [3]
Mid-October Arabian sea cyclone
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
Duration
October 12 – October 19
Peak intensity
95 km/h (60 mph) (1-min);
Mid-October Bay of Bengal cyclone
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
Duration
October 14 – October 19
Peak intensity
85 km/h (50 mph) (1-min);
Early-November Bay of Bengal cyclone
Cyclonic storm (IMD)
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
Duration
November 1 – November 6
Peak intensity
85 km/h (50 mph) (3-min);
This system formed on 1 November and the storm made landfall at Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh on 4 November as a weak Cyclonic Storm. It traversed the whole landmass of peninsular India and entered into the Arabian Sea on 6 November off the coast of Maharashtra. But the storm dissipated without any significant intensification by the same day. 25 people were reported to be killed by the storm and 13 fishermen remain missing. 25,000 huts were damaged by the storm. It tracked very close to Hyderabad during its movement but minimal damages were reported in the city.
^Dipankar C. Patnaik & N. Sivagnanam (November 2007). "DISASTER VULNERABILITY OF COASTAL STATES: A Short Case Study of Orissa, India". Social Science Research Network. p. 4. SSRN1074845. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)