Telling Numbers: Arabian Sea cyclones more frequent in recent years

These events had significant impacts over various regions of the Indian subcontinent leading to loss of lives and property as well as adversely affecting the livelihood of the vulnerable community

The highest loss of lives occurred during Cyclones Tautkae. (Picture by Nitin RK)

Studies using a 50-year (1970-2019) extreme weather events dataset of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) have shown that in recent decades, there has been increased occurrences of extreme weather events, including extremely severe cyclonic storms, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology Jitendra Singh said in Lok Sabha on Friday.

Replying to a question by BJP MP Ranjanben Dhananjay Bhatt, who had sought to know whether it is true that rising temperature leads to severe storms in the country, the Minister said there has been a significant rise in mean temperature across the globe, which is expected to trigger more intense meteorological events like intense/severe cyclonic storms.

Source: Ministry of Science & Technology, Lok Sabha reply

An analysis of past data of cyclones over the North Indian Ocean (Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea) during the period 1891–2020 indicates that the frequency of extremely severe cyclonic storms has increased in recent few years over the Arabian Sea since 1990, and remained the same over the Bay of Bengal, the minister said.

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These events had significant impacts over various regions of the Indian subcontinent leading to loss of lives and property as well as adversely affecting the livelihood of the vulnerable community, he said.

In reply to another question — from Subrat Pathak (BJP) and Chandra Sekhar Sahu (BJD) — the Science & Technology Minister listed the number of deaths caused by recent cyclones over the North Indian Ocean.

The highest loss of lives occurred during Cyclones Tautkae, 2021, 118 deaths), Amphan (2020, 98 deaths), Titli (2018, 78 deaths) and Nilam (2012, 75 deaths), the data showed.

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