2013 North Indian cyclone season
Cyclone Phailin 2013
Phailin crossed the Bay of Bengal and struck Odisha after a major coastal evacuation. The cyclone reached Category 5 strength offshore before weakening on its approach to Gopalpur.
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161 mph
Oct 11, 2013 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
From the Andaman Sea into the bay
Phailin's precursor crossed the Malay Peninsula and entered the Andaman Sea in early October. It moved west-northwest through improving conditions, then passed the Andaman Islands into the Bay of Bengal. The system received its name on October 9 and intensified rapidly over the next two days.
The archive records peak sustained winds of 140 knots on October 11. Phailin weakened somewhat as it approached Odisha, making landfall near Gopalpur on October 12. It lost strength over land, with the remaining circulation tracked into October 14.
A large coastal evacuation
More than 550,000 people moved from exposed coastal areas in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh to safer locations before the cyclone arrived. The operation was described at the time as India's largest evacuation in 23 years. Despite the preparations, damage was extensive, with total losses estimated at 260 billion rupees, approximately US$4.26 billion in 2013 dollars.
IMPACT
Reported impact
| Deaths | 45 |
|---|---|
| Areas affected | India, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand |
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Phailin in brief
What was Cyclone Phailin's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Oct 11, 2013, 12:00 PM UTC.
What category was Cyclone Phailin?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Oct 11, 2013, 09:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Cyclone Phailin's lowest pressure?
918 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Oct 11, 2013, 12:00 PM UTC.
When did Cyclone Phailin occur?
The archived track runs from Oct 7, 2013, 12:00 PM UTC to Oct 14, 2013, 06:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Oct 7, 2013, 06:00 PM UTC to Oct 14, 2013, 06:00 AM UTC.
Where did Cyclone Phailin form?
In the North Indian basin, in the 2013 season. Its first archived position is 11.8°N, 97.6°E on Oct 7, 2013, 12:00 PM UTC.
Did Cyclone Phailin make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 1 recorded position; the strongest is 115 mph on Oct 12, 2013, 06:00 PM UTC. Positions are six-hourly, so this is not a landfall chronology.
How many people died in Cyclone Phailin?
45 deaths are recorded by Wikidata.
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