Cyclone Roanu
Cyclonic Storm Roanu was a relatively weak tropical cyclone that caused severe flooding in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh during May 2016. It is the first tropical cyclone of the annual cyclone season. Roanu originated from a low-pressure area that formed south of Sri Lanka, which gradually drifted north and intensified into a cyclonic storm on 19 May. However, wind shear and land interaction caused it to weaken slightly, before reintensifying as it accelerated towards the coast of Bangladesh.
Cyclone Roanu at peak intensity approaching Bangladesh on 21 May | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 19 May 2016 |
| Remnant low | 22 May 2016 |
| Dissipated | 23 May 2016 |
| Cyclonic storm | |
| 3-minute sustained (IMD) | |
| Highest winds | 85 km/h (50 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 983 hPa (mbar); 29.03 inHg |
| Tropical storm | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC) | |
| Highest winds | 110 km/h (70 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 978 hPa (mbar); 28.88 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 135 |
| Missing | 99 |
| Damage | $2.13 billion (2016 USD) |
| Areas affected | Sri Lanka, East coast of India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Yunnan |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 2016 North Indian Ocean cyclone season | |
The storm was responsible for 105 deaths in Sri Lanka and another 30 deaths in Bangladesh; another 99 in Sri Lanka were reported missing. Damage throughout Sri Lanka reached US$2 billion. Roanu also brought torrential rainfall to the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Odisha as it drifted in a generally northeastward direction, close to the coast.