CYCLONE

SUBMITTED BY
SANOOOJA.SJ

Cyclone refers to any spinning storm that rotates around a low-pressure centre.
The low-pressure centre is also referred to as the 'eye' of the storm, which is well
known for being eerily calm compared with the areas under the spinning 'arms' of
the storm. Cyclones are low pressure systems that form off the coast over warm
tropical waters. In their centre, cyclones can carry gale force winds of 63km/h or
greater with gusts in excess of 90km/h. In the Southern Hemisphere, they have
well-defined clockwise wind circulations that can extend hundreds of kilometres
from the cyclone centre. This is usually characterized by
inward spiralling winds that rotate counter clockwise in the Northern
Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern of the Earth. Most large-scale cyclonic
circulations are centred on areas of low atmospheric pressure.[3][4] The largest lowpressure systems are cold-core polar cyclones and extratropical cyclones which lie
on the synoptic.

Types of Cyclones.
The term 'cyclone' actually refers to several different types of storms. They occur
in different places, and some occur over land while others occur over water. What
they all have in common is that they are spinning storms rotating around that lowpressure centre.
Tropical cyclones
Is a storm system fuelled by the heat realised when moist air raises and the
watervapour condenses. A tropical cyclone feeds on heat released when
moist air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapour contained in the moist
air. They are fuelled by a different heat mechanism than other cyclonic windstorms
such as nor'easters, European windstorms, and polar lows, leading to their
classification as "warm core" storm systems.

The term "tropical" refers to both the geographic origin of these systems, which
form almost exclusively in tropical regions of the globe, and their formation
in Maritime Tropical air masses. The term "cyclone" refers to such storms' cyclonic
nature, with counter clockwise rotation in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise
rotation in the Southern Hemisphere. Depending on their location and strength,
tropical cyclones are referred to by other names, such as hurricane, typhoon,
tropical storm, cyclonic storm, tropical depression, or simply as a cyclone.

Polar cyclones are cyclones that occur in Polar Regions like Greenland, Siberia
and Antarctica. Unlike tropical cyclones, polar cyclones are usually stronger in
winter months. A polar low is a small-scale, short-lived atmospheric low-pressure
system (depression) that is found over the ocean areas poleward of the main polar
front in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Polar lows are cold-core so
they can be considered as a subset of extratropical cyclones. Polar lows were first
identified on the meteorological satellite imagery that became available in the
1960s, which revealed many small-scale cloud vortices at high latitudes. The most
active polar lows are found over certain ice-free maritime areas in or near the
Arctic during the winter, such as the Norwegian Sea, Barents Sea, Labrador Sea
and Gulf of Alaska. Polar lows dissipate rapidly when they make landfall.

A mesocyclone is a vortex of air, 2.0 kilometres (1.2 mi) to 10 kilometres (6.2 mi)
in diameter (the mesoscale of meteorology), within a convective storm. Air rises
and rotates around a vertical axis, usually in the same direction as low-pressure
systems in both northern and southern hemisphere. They are most often cyclonic,
that is, associated with a localized low-pressure region within a supercell. Such
storms can feature strong surface winds and severe hail. Mesocyclones often occur
together with updrafts in supercells, where tornadoes may form. About 1700
mesocyclones form annually across the United States, but only half produce
tornadoes.

Cyclone on Mars, imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope

Formation of cyclone
A cyclone is formed when a system of winds moving in circular motion closes in
toward an area of the sea with low atmospheric pressure. The formation of
cyclones occurs in four stages including formative, immature cyclone, mature
cyclone and decay stage. Cyclones usually form in the eastern Pacific Ocean,
southern Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. A cyclone is
usually accompanied by thunderstorms.

A cyclone may also be called a hurricane or typhoon depending on its place of

occurrence. If it occurs in the Atlantic and North Pacific, it is referred to as a
hurricane, and if it occurs in the Northwest Pacific, it is called a typhoon. Cyclones
can cause extensive damage to coastal areas and miles inland. The powerful
weather phenomenon can generate wind speeds of more than 155 miles per hour,
in addition to microbursts and tornadoes.

The storm surges created by hurricanes can also cause catastrophic damage due to
heavy rainfall. Notable destructive results of the strong winds include flying debris
and floods.

1970 BHOLA CYCLONE

The 1970 Bhola cyclone was a devastating tropical cyclone that struck East
Pakistan ( Bangladesh) and India's West Bengal on 12 November 1970. It remains
the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded and one of the deadliest natural
disasters in modern times. Up to 500,000 people lost their lives in the storm,
primarily as a result of the storm surge that flooded much of the low-lying islands
of the Ganges Delta. This cyclone was the sixth cyclonic storm of the 1970 North
Indian Ocean cyclone season, and also the season's strongest, reaching a strength
equivalent to a strong Category 3 hurricane.

The cyclone formed over the central Bay of Bengal on November 8 and travelled
north, intensifying as it did so. It reached its peak with winds of 185 km/h
(115 mph) on November 11, and made landfall on the coast of East Pakistan
(Bangladesh) the following afternoon. The storm surge devastated many of the
offshore islands, wiping out villages and destroying crops throughout the region.
In the most severely affected upazila, Tazumuddin, over 45% of the population of
167,000 was killed by the storm.

METEOROLOGICAL HISTORY
The remnants of Tropical Storm Nora from the Pacific, which had lasted for two
days in the South China Sea, moved west over the Malay Peninsula on November
5. The remnants of this system contributed to the development of a new
depression in the central Bay of Bengal on the morning of November 8. The
depression intensified as it moved slowly northward, and the Department
upgraded it to a cyclonic storm the next day. No country in the region had ever

named tropical cyclones during this time, so no new identity was given. The storm
became nearly stationary that evening near 14.5 N, 87 E, but began to accelerate
to the north on November 10.

Map plotting the track and intensity of the storm

The hurricane intensified into a severe cyclonic storm on 11 November and began
to turn towards the northeast as it approached the head of the bay. A
clear eye formed in the storm, and it reached its peak later that day with sustained
winds of 185 km/h (115 mph) and a central pressure of 966 hPa, equivalent to that
of a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. The cyclone
made landfall on the East Pakistan coastline during the evening of 12 November,
around the same time as the local high tide. Once over land, the system began to
weaken but was still considered a cyclonic storm on 13 November when it was
about 100 km (62 mi) south-southeast of Agartala. The storm then rapidly
weakened into a remnant area of low pressure over southern Assam that evening.

PREPARATIONS
The Indian government received many ship reports from the Bay of Bengal that
were giving meteorological information on the cyclone, but as Indo-Pakistani
relations were generally hostile, the information was not passed on to the Pakistani
government.
A large part of the population was reportedly taken by surprise by the storm. There
were indications that the storm warning system that existed in East Pakistan was
not used properly, which may have cost tens of thousands of lives. The Pakistan
Meteorological Department issued a report calling for "danger preparedness" in
the coastal regions in danger during the day on November 12.
As the storm neared the coast, a "great danger signal" was broadcast on Pakistan
Radio. Survivors later said that this meant little to them, but that they had
recognised a No. 1 warning signal as representing the greatest possible threat. It is

estimated that 90% of the population in the area was aware of the cyclone before it
hit, but only about 1% sought refuge in fortified structures.

IMPACT
The coast of the Bay of Bengal is particularly vulnerable to the effects of tropical
cyclones, and there have been at least six cyclones to hit the region. While it is
unsure how many people were killed, it is estimated to be 300,000 to
500,000 people in total. The 1970 Bhola cyclone was not the most powerful of
these, however; the 1991 Bangladesh cyclone was significantly stronger when it
made landfall in the same general area with 250 km/h (160 mph) winds, a Category
5.
Most of the dead were believed to have been women and children. They could not
hold onto trees and buildings when the wall of a wave, the storm surge, hit them.
Relief efforts were slow for so many tragic reasons. Bodies were not buried
quickly enough. Cholera and other diseases broke out. People ate tree roots and
drank water from ponds in which corpses were rotting because they had no other
choice.
Still, the 1970 cyclone may have changed the course of history. The 1970 cyclone
is nonetheless the deadliest tropical cyclone on record and is one of
the deadliest natural disasters in recent history. The exact death toll will never be
known, but it is estimated that between 300,000 and 500,000 people lost their
lives. A comparable number of people died as a result of the 1976 Tangshan
earthquake and the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, but because of uncertainty in
the number of deaths in all three disasters, it may never be known which one was
the deadliest.

AFTERMATH
Government response
The Indian government received many ship reports from the Bay of Bengal that
were giving meteorological information on the cyclone, but as Indo-Pakistani
relations were generally hostile, the information was not passed on to the Pakistani
government. India's Meteorological Department upgraded it to a cyclone storm on
9 November 1970, and to a severe cyclonic storm two days later.
On 11 November 1970 the U.S. officials notified the Indian and West Pakistani
authorities after its weather satellites spotted a storm of at least category 1 intensity
tracking up the Bay of Bengal. However, neither nation initially did much to
prepare for the coming disaster.
The following day, on 12 November 1970, the Pakistan Meteorological
Department did issue a report calling for "danger preparedness" in the coastal
regions. As the storm neared the coast, a "great danger signal" was broadcast on

Pakistan Radio. Survivors later said that this meant little to them, but that they had
recognised a No. 1 warning signal as representing the greatest possible threat. And
since radio ownership was most common in and near urban centres, while the
inhabitants of the coastal provinces and char islands, who were in much greater
danger from the storm, had least access to electricity or radios, meant these
warnings were heard by those least in need of hearing them. However, it is
estimated that 90% of the population in the area was aware of the cyclone before it
hit since they had received minor storms a week leading to the tragedy - but,
underestimating the ferocity of the cyclone, only about 1% sought refuge in
fortified structures.

Criticism of government response

Political leaders in East Pakistan were deeply critical of the central government's
initial response to the disaster. A statement released by eleven political leaders
in East Pakistan ten days after the cyclone hit charged the government with 'gross
neglect, callous indifference and utter indifference'. They also accused the
president of playing down the news coverage. On November 19, students held a
march in Dhaka in protest of the speed of the government response, and Maulana
Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani addressed a rally of 50,000 people on November 24,
when he accused the president of inefficiency and demanded his resignation. The
president's political opponents accused him of bungling the efforts and some
demanded his resignation.

Political consequences
The Awami League, the largest political party in East Pakistan, headed by Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman, swept to a landslide victory in the national elections in
December 1970, in part because of dissatisfaction over failure of the relief efforts
by the national government. The elections for nine national assembly and eighteen
provincial assembly seats had to be postponed until 18 January as a result of the
storm.
The government's handling of the relief efforts helped exacerbate the bitterness
felt in East Pakistan, swelling the resistance movement there. Funds only slowly
got through, and transport was slow in bringing supplies to the devastated regions.
As tensions increased in March, foreign personnel evacuated because of fears of
violence. The situation deteriorated further and developed into the Bangladesh
Liberation War in March. This conflict widened into the Indo-Pakistani War of
1971 in December and concluded with the creation of Bangladesh. This was one of
the first times that a natural event helped to trigger a civil war.

AFTER THE IMPACT

In December, the League of Red Cross Societies drafted a plan for immediate use
should a comparable event to the cyclone hit other "disaster prone countries". A
Red Cross official stated some of the relief workers sent to East Pakistan were
poorly trained, and the organisation would compile a list of specialists. The UN
General Assembly adopted a proposal to improve its ability to provide aid to
disaster-stricken countries. In 1966, the Red Crescent began to support the
development of a cyclone warning system, which developed into a Cyclone
Preparedness Programme in 1972, today run by the Government of
Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society. The programme's objectives
are to raise public awareness of the risks of cyclones and to provide training to
emergency personnel in the coastal regions of Bangladesh.
In the 30 years after the 1970 cyclone, over 200 cyclone shelters were constructed
in the coastal regions of Bangladesh. When the next destructive
cyclone approached the country in 1991, volunteers from the Cyclone
Preparedness Programme warned people of the cyclone two to three days before it
struck land. Over 350,000 people fled their homes to shelters and other brick
structures, whilst others sought high ground. While the 1991 cyclone killed over
138,000 people, this was significantly less than the 1970 storm, partly because of
the warnings sent out by the Cyclone Preparedness Programme. However, the
1991 storm was significantly more destructive, causing 1.5 billion dollars in damage
(2 billion inflation-adjusted) compared to the 1970 storm's 86.4 million dollars in
damage.

Most affected areas are highly populated islands and coastal areas
The Bhola cyclone struck the small islands of the Ganges delta - known locally
as char. These extremely flat piece of land are the 'by-product' of sediments
disposed by the great number of rivers flowing through Bangladesh. They are
densely populated and home to over 600,000 inhabitants.
During the Great Bhola Cyclone the southern coastal areas of Perojpur, Barguna,
Patuakhali, Bhola, Lakhsmipur and Noakhali districts were the hardest hit. The
greatest devastation hit the islands of Hatiya and Dakhin Shahbazpur, part of
which was washed into the sea. The hurricane winds also battered Chittagong,
Khepupara, north of Char Burhanuddin, Char Tazumuddin, south of Maijdi, and
Haringhata. In Manpura Island, 25,000 of its 30,000 people died in the surging
waters. Most of the island's cattle, sheep, goats and buffaloes were drowned.

The storm affected a total area of nearly 4,000 square miles, covering a number of
off-shore islands in the Bay of Bengal, with an estimated population of 4.8 million.
The most severely ravaged area, the delta islands and low-lying coastal
plains, measured about 1,700 square miles and contained about 2 million people.
The cyclone ravaged the area leaving behind destroyed houses, roads and bridges,
huge holes in the streets and enormous erosion along the streams.

REFERENCES
1. Paula Ouderm (December 6, 2007). "NOAA Researcher's Warning Helps Save Lives
in Bangladesh". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the
original on 2008-05-17. Retrieved 2008-01-24.
2. "Disaster; East Pakistan: Cyclone May Be .The Worst Catastrophe of
Century" (pay article), The New York Times, November 22, 1970, p. 169.
3. Joint Typhoon Warning Center (1969). "Western North Pacific Tropical Storms
1969" (PDF). Annual Typhoon Report 1969. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
4. India Meteorological Department (1970). "Annual Summary Storms &
Depressions" (PDF). India Weather Review 1970. pp. 1011. Retrieved 2007-04-15.
5. Many Pakistan flood victims died needlessly". Lowell Sun. 1971-01-31. p. E3.
Retrieved 2007-04-15 via Newspapers.com.
6. Sullivan, Walter (1970-11-22). "Cyclone May Be Worst Catastrophe Of The
Century". New York Times.