2007 North Indian cyclone season
Cyclone Sidr 2007
Sidr intensified over the Bay of Bengal before striking Bangladesh on November 15. Large evacuations preceded a coastal disaster that killed thousands of people.
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161 mph
Nov 14, 2007 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Strengthening toward Bangladesh
The disturbance that became Sidr developed southeast of the Andaman Islands, with a weak circulation near the Nicobar Islands. Wind shear initially slowed its organization. As that shear eased, the circulation consolidated and moved northwestward into the Bay of Bengal.
Named on November 12, Sidr strengthened quickly over the following days. The archive places its first Category 5 intensity on November 14, with sustained winds reaching 140 knots. It then approached Bangladesh and made landfall on November 15. The cyclone weakened rapidly over land, and final advisories followed early the next day.
Heavy losses despite evacuations
Warnings prompted large-scale evacuations before the cyclone arrived. The saved account records at least 3,447 deaths, while contemporary aid-agency estimates were higher. Damage was estimated at 196.25 billion taka, approximately US$2.31 billion at the time, and the scale of the disaster prompted international assistance.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Sidr in brief
What was Cyclone Sidr's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Nov 14, 2007, 06:00 PM UTC.
What category was Cyclone Sidr?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Nov 14, 2007, 06:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Cyclone Sidr's lowest pressure?
918 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Nov 14, 2007, 06:00 PM UTC.
When did Cyclone Sidr occur?
The archived track runs from Nov 10, 2007, 06:00 AM UTC to Nov 16, 2007, 03:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Nov 10, 2007, 06:00 PM UTC to Nov 16, 2007, 12:00 AM UTC.
Where did Cyclone Sidr form?
In the North Indian basin, in the 2007 season. Its first archived position is 9.6°N, 93.2°E on Nov 10, 2007, 06:00 AM UTC.
Did Cyclone Sidr make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 1 recorded position; the strongest is 115 mph on Nov 15, 2007, 06:00 PM UTC. Positions are six-hourly, so this is not a landfall chronology.
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