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Cyclone Asani: How it matches up against its predecessors since May 2020

A snapshot of the nature and impact of cyclones in the Bay of Bengal

Debraj Mitra Kolkata Published 11.05.22, 07:01 AM
Asani is the fifth cyclone on Bay of Bengal since 2020.

Asani is the fifth cyclone on Bay of Bengal since 2020. File picture

Cyclone Asani is tipped to fizzle out before coming near the Bengal coast by May 12. It is the fifth cyclone on Bay of Bengal since 2020. Here's a snapshot of how it fares against its predecessors.

Asani (May 2022)

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• Started as a low-pressure area over south Andaman Sea

• Path: The system moved in a northwestward direction till teaching the Andhra-Odisha coast early on Wednesday. After that, it may make a north-northeastward recurve and move along the Odisha coast in a depleted form

• Strongest form on sea: On Sunday evening, the system turned into a severe cyclonic storm.

• Landfall: The system is expected to deplete into a cyclone by Wednesday morning. Thereafter, it is tipped to lose strength gradually. Unlikely to hit land, Asani is expected to fizzle out in the sea.

• Impact (so far) on Kolkata: Clouds from the outer band of the storm triggered sharp spells of rain on Monday and Tuesday.

Jawad (Dec 2021)

• Started as a low-pressure area on Andaman Sea

• Path: The system initially moved in a north-northwestward direction towards the Andhra-Odisha coast and then took a northeastward recurve and kept moving along the Odisha and Bengal coast.

• Strongest form on sea: Cyclone

• Landfall: The system did not enter land. It came close to land as a cyclone. But it kept losing steam while moving along the coast and fizzled out in the sea.

• Impact on Kolkata: The system was closest to the Bengal coast on December 5 and 6. On the two days, the city got a decent cloud cover and consistent rain (around 70mm).

Gulab (Sept 2021)

• Started as a low-pressure area over east-central Bay of Bengal

• Path: Kept moving in a westward direction.

• Strongest form on sea: Cyclone

• Landfall: On September 26, Gulab hit land near Kalingapatnam in north Andhra Pradesh, over 750km from Kolkata, as a cyclone.

• Wind speed: Around 80kmph during landfall.

• Impact on Kolkata: No significant impact.

Yaas (May 2021)

• Started as a low-pressure area over eastcentral Bay of Bengal

• Path: Stuck to a north-northwest direction.

• Strongest form on sea: Very severe cyclonic storm

• Landfall: On May 26, Yaas landed as a very severe cyclonic storm 20km south of Balasore, over 250km from Kolkata. After landfall, Yaas stuck to its north-northwest path towards Jharkhand.

• Wind speed: Yaas generated a wind speed of around 140kmph at the time of landfall.

• Impact on Kolkata: Intermittent rain and moderate winds. A day after the landfall, a giant mass of thundercloud from the remnant of the system drifted to Kolkata, triggering around 150mm of rain in the city.

Amphan (May 2020)

• Started as a low-pressure area over south Andaman Sea

•Path: The system was moving in a north-northwest direction at the beginning. But it did not travel in a straight path. It started taking a recurve and travelled in a north-northeast direction towards the Bengal and Bangladesh coasts.

• Strongest form on sea: Super Cyclone

• Landfall: On May 20, Amphan landed as a very severe cyclonic storm in Sagar Islands, 100km from Kolkata. After landing, the storm swept Kolkata, North 24-Parganas and parts of Nadia.

• Wind speed: Amphan generated a wind speed of around 180kmph during landfall.

• Impact on Kolkata: Over 200mm of rain and consistent winds over 100kmph caused large-scale devastation.

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