2020 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
The 2020 North Indian Ocean cyclone season was the costliest North Indian Ocean cyclone season on record, mostly due to the devastating Cyclone Amphan. The North Indian Ocean cyclone season has no official bounds, but cyclones tend to form between April and November, with peaks in late April to May and October to November. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northern Indian Ocean. The season began on May 16 with the designation of Depression BOB 01 in the Bay of Bengal, which later became Amphan. Cyclone Amphan was the strongest storm in the Bay of Bengal in 21 years and would break Nargis of 2008's record as the costliest storm in the North Indian Ocean. The season concluded with the dissipation of Cyclone Burevi on December 5. Overall, the season was slightly above average, seeing the development of five cyclonic storms.
| 2020 North Indian Ocean cyclone season | |
|---|---|
Season summary map | |
| Seasonal boundaries | |
| First system formed | May 16, 2020 |
| Last system dissipated | December 5, 2020 |
| Strongest storm | |
| Name | Amphan |
| • Maximum winds | 240 km/h (150 mph) (3-minute sustained) |
| • Lowest pressure | 920 hPa (mbar) |
| Seasonal statistics | |
| Depressions | 9 |
| Deep depressions | 6 |
| Cyclonic storms | 5 |
| Severe cyclonic storms | 4 |
| Very severe cyclonic storms | 3 |
| Extremely severe cyclonic storms | 1 |
| Super cyclonic storms | 1 |
| Total fatalities | 269 total |
| Total damage | > $16 billion (2020 USD) (Costliest North Indian Ocean cyclone season on record) |
| Related articles | |
The scope of the season is limited to the Indian Ocean in the Northern Hemisphere, east of the Horn of Africa and west of the Malay Peninsula. There are two main seas in the North Indian Ocean – the Arabian Sea to the west of the Indian subcontinent, abbreviated ARB by the India Meteorological Department (IMD); and the Bay of Bengal to the east, abbreviated BOB by the IMD.
The official Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre in the basin is the India Meteorological Department (IMD), while the United States's Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) releases unofficial advisories. On average, three to four cyclonic storms form in this basin every season.