Cyclones are massive rotating tropical storms created by winds blowing across a low atmospheric pressure central region. Cyclones form over warm water in the tropical ocean regions, where low-pressure areas are produced by the heat from the Sun. This allows the air to rise vigorously and becomes saturated with water droplets that condense into huge thunder clouds.
With the huge destructive energy possessed by cyclones, they are indeed one of the most dangerous calamities. Here are the five deadliest cyclones in known history.
Great Bhola Cyclone – Bangladesh, 1970
The Bhola cyclone was a deadly cyclone that hit present-day Bangladesh and India’s Bengal on 11 November 1970. It is the deadliest cyclone recorded in history and one of the most fatal natural disasters ever happened. A minimum of 3,00,000 people died in the aftermath of the storm. More people died due to the flood surge on the low-lying Ganges Delta. Bhola was the sixth and heaviest cyclone of the 1970 North Indian cyclone season.
The cyclone was created over the middle of the Bay of Bengal on 8 November. Meanwhile, the atmospheric pressure variations rose dramatically. It got stronger as it moved northward. The storm attained its pinnacle speed (185 km/h) on 10 November. It showered heavy destruction on the northeast coast of the Indian Subcontinent. The storm inflicted large-scale damages across many offshore islands, dismantling villages and wrecking huge crop fields throughout the affected areas. Among the regions, Tazumuddin lost over 45% of its entire population. About 167,000 people were killed in this region.
Hooghly River Cyclone – India and Bangladesh, 1737
The Hooghly River cyclone was the first super cyclone detected in the North Indian Ocean. It is considered one of the worst natural calamities in India. It struck the coast near Kolkata on 11 October 1737. It paved the way for the death of over 3,00,000 people inland and at sea. It uprooted everything that came in the way, causing permanent damage across the region. The cyclone majorly affected the Ganges River Delta, southwest of Kolkata. The majority of deaths were caused by storm surges and occurred on the sea. Numerous ships sank in the sea, and countless numbers of animals were killed in the aftermath of the cyclone. The total statistics of the destruction are still unknown.
Haiphong Cyclone – Vietnam, 1881
The Haiphong cyclone happened on 8 October 1881. It is also considered one of the most destructive natural disasters in recorded history. It is arguably considered the third-worst tropical cyclone ever reported. The cyclone crashed into the Gulf of Tonkin, inflicting huge tidal waves that submerged Haiphong City in northeastern Vietnam. It caused extensive damage and killed over 3,00,000 inhabitants. The port city of Haiphong is located on the Red River delta (Gulf of Tonkin). It was linked to the sea by a channel that magnified the effects of the destruction and flooding. As the region was the economic hub, the consequences of the cyclone were devastating. Apart from 3,00,000 direct deaths, thousands of people died of starvation and epidemics. It ranks third in terms of widespread destruction after the Bhola cyclone and Hooghly River cyclone. The exact strength and category of the Haiphong cyclone are still unknown.
Coringa Cyclone – India, 1839
Coringa is a coastal village on the coast of Andhra Pradesh. On 25 November 1839, the region was struck by a tropical cyclone that demolished the entire coastal area. It is referred to as the ‘1839 Andhra Pradesh cyclone’ and ‘1839 India cyclone’. Just like all the other cyclones mentioned in the article, it inflicted extensive destruction all around the region and killed over 3,00,000 inhabitants. Some even considered it as the second-deadliest cyclone worldwide after the Bhola cyclone. During such a pre-modern era, weather instruments like barometers, manometer, anemometers, pyranometers, etc., were not fully developed. Due to the lack of technology, it was almost impossible to predict large scale storms and other weather calamities. Countless ships were wrecked, and buildings were swept away by rising streams and rivers. Crop fields and wildlife were severely affected. The beautiful port became a graveyard. Most of the people who survived the storm abandoned the region and built houses far away from the ghost coast.
Backerganj Cyclone – Bangladesh, 1876
The Great Backerganj cyclone happened between 29 October and 1 November 1876. It is also one of the deadliest tropical cyclones reported in the last millennium. It smashed the Backerganj coast ( near Meghna estuary) in Barisal. It killed about 200,000 inhabitants. Almost half of them drowned in the flooding. The rest of them died from the resultant famine.