32% rise in number of cyclones in past 5 years: IMD

PUNE: The number of cyclones and severe cyclones in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal has risen by nearly 11% in the last decade, with an alarming 32% increase recorded in the last five years, data from India Meteorological Department (IMD) reveals.
Back-to-back cyclones have caused havoc and affected weather patterns recently. But the sharp rise in the past five years in comparison with the previous decades could be an alarming pointer to the calamitous effects of global warming, weather officials said.
There were seven cyclones each in 2018 and 2019, the highest since 1985, when too seven cyclones were recorded. Similarly, six severe cyclones each hit India in 2018 and 2019, the highest since 1976, when seven were recorded.
This year, the extremely severe cyclonic storm Fani devastated Odisha and the extreme southern parts of Gangetic West Bengal in April. Vayu, another very severe cyclone, delayed the monsoon’s onset over parts of the country.
On average, four cyclones affected India each year during this decade (2010-2019), higher than the average of three in the previous decades since 1980, Anupam Kashyapi, head of weather, India Meteorological Department, Pune, told TOI.
“The average number of cyclones for the last five years is five and that for severe cyclones around three, indicating an increase in the number and severity of cyclonic storms in recent years,” he added.
Cyclones and its variants this year have been affecting life and property in India. The first to hit India this year was cyclone Pabuk which emerged in the north Indian Ocean region over Andaman Sea in January. It did not cause any devastation.
Fani, which formed over east-central equatorial Indian Ocean and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal, from April 26 to May 4 was the most intense cyclonic storm crossing Odisha coast during the pre-monsoon season since 1965. Some areas are still coping with the devastation Fani caused.
Vayu, which formed from June 10 to June 17 in the Arabian Sea, depleted all the moisture from the south peninsula and parts of Maharashtra after the monsoon had set over Kerala. “The storm significantly delayed the monsoon in these parts as its current took time to recover,” Kashyapi said.
Kyarr in October brought heavy to very heavy rain along the west coast in Karnataka, Maharashtra, and south Gujarat while Maha did something similar towards the end of October and early November when it usually does not rain with such intensity.
“Maha caused intense rain and moisture incursion into Maharashtra and south Gujarat. The huge amount of moisture has delayed the progress of winter-like temperatures in Maharashtra,” Kashyapi added.
The most recent very severe cyclonic storm Bulbul took a toll on life and property in southern parts of Gangetic West Bengal in the Sundarbans.
The recent cyclones and consequent untimely rains have also caused significant damage to kharif crops in various locations in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Gangetic West Bengal, north Odisha.