2015 South Indian cyclone season
Cyclone Eunice 2015
Eunice reversed its early westward course before strengthening over the southern Indian Ocean. Its Category 5 peak and subsequent decline both occurred over open water.
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161 mph
Jan 30, 2015 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
A reversal before intensification
The archived track begins on January 24 near 15 degrees south and 78 degrees east. The precursor moved westward toward 63 degrees east while edging closer to the equator. It then turned back toward the east and southeast, with the tropical stage beginning late on January 26.
Winds increased rapidly after that turn. Eunice reached an archived maximum of 140 knots at the start of January 30 near 18 degrees south and 68 degrees east. This brought the cyclone to Category 5 strength on the one-minute wind scale used here.
Weakening on a southeastward track
Eunice continued southeastward and then more directly eastward as its winds declined. Its tropical stage ended late on February 1, but later archived positions extend into February 3 at much higher southern latitudes. No recorded center position crosses land anywhere along the track.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Eunice in brief
What was Cyclone Eunice's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Jan 30, 2015, 12:00 AM UTC.
What category was Cyclone Eunice?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Jan 29, 2015, 09:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Cyclone Eunice's lowest pressure?
918 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Jan 30, 2015, 12:00 AM UTC.
When did Cyclone Eunice occur?
The archived track runs from Jan 24, 2015, 06:00 AM UTC to Feb 3, 2015, 06:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Jan 26, 2015, 06:00 PM UTC to Feb 1, 2015, 09:00 PM UTC.
Where did Cyclone Eunice form?
In the South Indian basin, in the 2015 season. Its first archived position is 15.1°S, 77.6°E on Jan 24, 2015, 06:00 AM UTC.
Did Cyclone Eunice make landfall?
No archived position places Cyclone Eunice's center over land, but positions are six-hourly and a brief landfall can fall between them.
METHODOLOGY
Data sources and limitations
The map and summary are generated from NOAA's IBTrACS v04r01 archive. Wind and category use US-agency records; minimum pressure is calculated during the tropical stage, with the archive's pressure source retained. Category 5 refers to the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale; local agencies may use different classifications. Coastlines use Natural Earth's 1:10m land data.
Track distance adds great-circle distances between consecutive observations, excluding gaps over 12 hours. This track has no gaps over 12 hours. The line shows the storm's center, not its size, rainfall or flood extent. Converted wind speeds are rounded to the nearest whole unit.
Archive retrieved
NOAA IBTrACS archive and Field documentation
Sources & methodology