The years from 1985-1989 featured the 1985–1989 North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons. Each season was an ongoing event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation. The North Indian tropical cyclone season has no bounds, but they tend to form between April and December, with peaks in May and November. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northern Indian Ocean.
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Tropical Storm One, which developed in the central Bay of Bengal on May 22, strengthened to a peak of 70 mph winds before hitting Bangladesh on the 25th. The storm brought torrential rains and flooding, killing around 11,069 people[1] and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. Advanced warning likely cut back on what could have been a much higher death toll.
A tropical depression formed in the central Arabian Sea on May 28. It headed northward, reaching a peak of 60 mph winds before hitting western India on the 31st. The storm dissipated on the 1st.
Tropical Storm Three, which developed in the central Bay of Bengal, moved northwestward to hit India on the 11th as a 60 mph storm.
38 people were killed when 60 mph Tropical Storm Four hit the northeastern coast of India on October 16.
On November 17, 65 mph Tropical Storm Five, which developed on the 13th, hit eastern India. The storm brought heavy flooding, but no damage or deaths were reported.
50 mph Tropical Storm Six, having developed on December 9, hit southeastern India on the 13th.
Tropical Depression 1B developed southeast of Sri Lanka on January 7. It tracked northwestward, briefly strengthening to a 50 mph tropical storm before upper level winds caused it to dissipate on the 11th.
A tropical disturbance slowly organized into a tropical depression on November 6 in the Bay of Bengal. It turned to the northeast, became a tropical storm, and reached a peak of 60 mph winds before hitting Bangladesh on the 9th. The storm dissipated on the 10th, after causing 11 casualties and heavy damage.
From November 9 to the 11th, Tropical Storm Three existed over the open Arabian Sea, dissipating due to vertical shear.
Prior to 1992, this season had the most tropical storms in North Indian recorded history, with 8 storms forming.
Tropical Storm One, which developed in the central Bay of Bengal on January 30, turned to the north and reached a peak of 65 mph winds on the 2nd. Vertical shear weakened it to a tropical depression before it hit northern Myanmar on the 4th.
On June 4 65 mph Tropical Storm Two hit Bangladesh, causing little damage or loss of life.
The monsoon trough spawned a tropical depression on June 4 in the Arabian Sea. It tracked due eastward, becoming a tropical storm later that day and reaching a peak of 60 mph winds on the 6th. The storm turned abruptly northward, turned westward and executed an anticyclonic loop. Vertical shear caused the system to dissipate on the 12th.
A monsoon depression became more tropical on October 14 in the Bay of Bengal. It traveled northwestward, becoming a tropical storm on the 15th and hitting southeastern India as a 50 mph storm that night. It rapidly dissipated over land.
65 mph Tropical Storm Five, which developed on October 30 in the Bay of Bengal, hit eastern India on the 2nd, dissipating shortly thereafter.
The monsoon trough spawned a tropical depression on November 8 in the southeastern Bay of Bengal. It tracked northward, then turned westward, strengthening to a 60 mph tropical storm before hitting eastern India on the 12th.
Tropical Storm Seven, which developed in the western Bay of Bengal on December 2, strengthened in the eastern Arabian Sea to a 50 mph storm. It turned to the northeast, where upper level winds weakened it to a tropical depression. The depression hit western India, 90 miles south of Bombay, on the 12th, and dissipated the next day without causing any damage.
The eighth and final storm of the season formed on December 17 northeast of Sri Lanka. It moved westward, and executed an elongated loop lasting 4 days. It briefly reached tropical storm strength before vertical shear weakened it again, and the system hit eastern India on the 23rd.
A tropical depression that formed on June 8 off the western coast of India tracked westward, becoming a tropical storm on the 9th. It looped to the north, where upper level winds ripped it apart on the 12th.
A tropical disturbance in the eastern Bay of Bengal developed into a tropical depression on October 17. It moved northwestward, briefly becoming a tropical storm before upper level winds weakened it. The storm hit Bangladesh as a tropical depression on the 19th, but still managed to cause strong storm surge and flooding amounting to 1500 casualties.
Tropical Storm Three, which formed in the southern Bay of Bengal on November 14, tracked northward to reach a peak of 65 mph winds before hitting Myanmar on the 18th. The storm rapidly dissipated over land.
The monsoon trough spawned a tropical depression just west of the Malay Peninsula on November 21. Its large circulation caused mudslides and flooding over western Indonesia before consolidating into a tropical storm on the 24th over the central Bay of Bengal. The storm turned northward, where conditions allowed for continued development. The storm became a cyclone on the 26th, and it continued to strengthen as it moved northward. Cyclone Four reached a peak of 130 mph just before hitting the Sundarbans part of Bangladesh. Heavy storm surge and torrential flooding killed 2000 people (with 6000 missing), and left millions homeless. In addition, the storm caused 1000 fatalities and over 100,000 homeless in Malaysia, Thailand, and western Indonesia.
From December 6 through the 8th, a tropical storm meandered through the cenral Bay of Bengal, remaining at sea through its lifetime.
Tropical Storm 1B, which formed in the Central Bay of Bengal on May 23, hit 60 miles west of Calcutta, India as a 65 mph storm on the 26th. No damage was reported.
A small, low level circulation organized into a tropical depression on June 7 off the northwest coast of India. It tracked to the northwest, then turned to the northeast, hit the Kathiawar peninsula, and turned back to the west. On the 12th, the convection became organized enough to classify it a tropical storm, but vertical shear caused it to dissipate on the 13th.
| Super cyclonic storm (IMD) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category 5 tropical cyclone (SSHS) | |||
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| Duration | November 1 – November 10 | ||
| Intensity | 240 km/h (150 mph) (3-min), Unknown | ||
Typhoon Gay, which crossed the Malay Peninsula on November 4, continued westward to hit eastern India as a 160 mph Cyclone (supertyphoon). It caused 1,060 direct casualties, only 69 of which were in India.