The 1968 North Indian Ocean cyclone season was an active cyclone season. Cyclone seasons in the Northern Indian Ocean have no official bounds, but cyclones tend to form between April and December, with peaks in May and November. These dates conventionally determine the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the basin. There are two main seas in the North Indian Ocean—the Bay of Bengal to the east of the Indian subcontinent, and the Arabian Sea to the west of India. The official Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre in this basin is the India Meteorological Department (IMD), while the Joint Typhoon Warning Center releases unofficial advisories. An average of four to six storms form in the North Indian Ocean every season. Cyclones occurring between the meridians 45°E and 100°E are included in the season by the IMD. __TOC__
Seasonal summary
The season started when a system formed in the Bay of Bengal and intensified to a cyclonic storm, becoming the first cyclonic storm of the year, later intensifying into the first severe cyclonic storm of the year. It made landfall near Akyab, Burma, causing catastrophic damages and loss of lives. After that, numerous monsoonal depressions formed, causing heavy rainfall and significant flooding, of which Deep Depression Five being the most damaging one. The season got its second cyclonic storm on September 10, with the storm making landfall on Gopalpur. On September 21, the third cyclonic storm and second severe cyclonic storm formed, when a severe cyclonic storm formed in the Bay of Bengal and made landfall in Andhra PradeshOrissa coast. The cyclone brought unusually heavy rainfall which caused severe flooding across Eastern India. Numerous landslides were reported in sub-Himalayan regions. Orissa braced for another severe cyclonic storm, this time a powerful one, which caused catastrophic damage in the region.
Systems Super Cyclonic Storm One
On May 10, a powerful severe cyclonic storm struck the town of Akyab in Burma. It caused catastrophic damages in the region, causing US$3.169 million (K15 million) damage and 1,037 fatalities, with a further 2,000 people being declared missing.
Depression Two
On June 18 in the evening, a disturbance was moving westwards across the Arakan coast which caused a low-pressure area to form in the Bay of Bengal. The tropical wave gradually intensified into a depression on June 12. The system then moved northwards and made landfall over the West BengalEast Pakistani coast in the early morning of June 13 before 03:00 UTC (08:30 IST), the system's center was located near Khulna. The system continued to move its northward direction, it moving near Pabna by 12:00 UTC (17:30 IST), the same day. The system turned towards the west-northwest, persisting over West Bengal and Bihar. By the morning of June 15, the system weakened into a low-pressure area. The low-pressure area then moved eastwards towards north Assam by June 20.
The system extended the monsoon into West Bengal, Bihar and Odisha (formerly called Orissa). Heavy rainfall caused severe floods, damage to crops, and disruption traffic in Assam, according to the press. Approximately one million people were affected by floods and a few people also died due to flooding.
Land Depression Three
On July 8, an area of low pressure formed over the Bihar Plateau and adjoining Gangetic West Bengal, which intensified to a deep depression on the next day at 08:30 IST (03:00 UTC), to the southeast of Sriniketan. Traversing northeastward, it moved through East Pakistan before turning northwards. At 17:30 IST (12:00 UTC) of July 11, the system then weakened to a depression while located to the northwest of Mymensingh. It was then last noted on that day as it accelerated across northern Assam.
The deep depression caused heavy rainfall in Northeast India, with Calcutta recording over of rain on July 9, being regarded as the highest in fifty years. These conditions caused severe flooding in West Bengal, with ten people being killed. Half a million individuals were also affected, while rivers in Assam overflowed due to downpours.
Deep Depression Four
On the morning of July 23, an upper air cyclonic circulation was first noted, stretching from Thailand to Burma. Moving westwards overnight, a low-pressure area formed from this feature on the next day in the Bay of Bengal, becoming a well-marked system on July 25 and a depression on the next day at 18:30 IST (13:30 UTC) while located to the south of Calcutta. No ships were in the vicinity of the system to identify the exact position of the storm at this time; however, ESSA-6 satellite imagery showed that a cyclonic circulation was present. Traversing northwards, the depression further strengthened to a deep depression on July 28 in the morning. With no further intensification, the storm crossed the coast of Chandbali on that night before accelerating west-northwest. It rapidly weakened to a depression while moving inland, degenerating to an area of low pressure over northwest Madhya Pradesh before being last noted on August 4.
Under the system's influence, heavy rainfall was experienced in central India, being further exacerbated by an existing monsoon. Heavy flooding were also seen on east Rajasthan, disrupting road and rail activities.
Deep Depression Five
A tropical wave was moving westwards across the ArakanChittagong coast on the morning of August 1. On the next day the tropical wave gradually organized and became a low-pressure area northeast of the Bay of Bengal and later concentrated into a depression on August 3. The depression rapidly moved westwards and intensified into a deep depression over northern Orissa and adjoining eastern parts of Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. Weather stations in these places reported pressure falls of . The system later moved inland, though by August 8, at 08:30 IST (03:00 UTC), it weakened and merged into a seasonal low over West Pakistan, about northeast from Naliya.
While the system was moving towards Madhya Pradesh, there were reports of widespread rainfall over West Bengal, Bihar and Orissa on the morning of August 4, though few places experienced heavy rainfall. On the next day, widespread rainfall was reported over Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha, with a few places experiencing scattered heavy to very heavy rainfall. As it moved towards Gujarat, widespread rainfall was reported in the state, north of Central Maharashtra and adjoining parts of Madhya Pradesh. The system's minimum pressure of was recorded in Dohad, Gujarat. On the next day, Saurashtra and Kutch experienced heavy to very heavy rainfall. Because of this, severe flooding occurred in parts of north Orissa, West Bengal and Gujarat, causing inundation of many areas, disruption of road and rail communications and damage to standing crops. The worst-affected district was Midnapore, where flooding affected 500 thousand people. South Gujarat also got affected because of the overflowing of the Narmada and Tapti rivers. Rail communications between Gujarat and Bombay State were cut off, only being restored after a month. Floods was also reported in parts of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana. It also intensified the annual monsoon season in these regions.
Depression Six
On August 7, an upper cyclonic circulation developed over northeast of Bay of Bengal. The circulation later developed into a low-pressure system on August 9, and by evening, the system became a well-marked low-pressure system. At 08:30 IST (03:00 UTC) on August 11, it intensified into a depression. The system moved inland over West Bengal, with its center reported to be south of Burdwan in the morning of August 12. It continued moving inland and persisted over north Madhya Pradesh until August 18, when it weakened and merged into a seasonal trough.
Under the influence of the storm, there were reports of widespread rainfall in Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and east Rajasthan. Because of heavy rainfall, the river Waiganga and its tributaries got flooded along the Narmada River, causing disruptions to river traffic. Moderate flooding was witnessed in the rivers Sarda, Ramganga and Ganga.
Depression Seven
On August 18, a tropical wave was noted over the ArakanTenasserim coast as seen by unusual droppings of atmospheric pressure over the region. On August 19, a disturbance formed from the tropical wave over northeast Bay of Bengal, which later became a low-pressure area on August 20 as it got more organized. On August 21, the low pressure system became more well-marked, before eventually becoming a depression on August 22. As it rapidly moved northwestwards, its center was located near the West Bengal coast by 08:30 IST (03:00 UTC), before later making landfall over Sagar Island later that day. It moved further inland, until on August 24, when it weakened into a low-pressure area over the central parts of West Bengal.
Under the influence of this system, widespread rainfall was reported in Orissa, Bihar, northeast India, Assam and the sub-Himalayan region of West Bengal.
Cyclonic Storm Eight
On September 8, a trough of low pressure developed over the northwest Bay of Bengal, which later concentrated into a low-pressure area by September 9. It later intensified into a depression on September 10, before further intensifying into a deep depression in the night of the same day. On September 11, at 17:30 IST (12:00 UTC), Sandheads, which was located north of the center of the storm, recorded a pressure of and east-southeast winds of . As it moved west-southwestwards, the deep depression intensified into a cyclonic storm on the night of September 11, becoming the second cyclonic storm of the season. By the next day, its center was located near Gopalpur. ESSA-6 satellite imagery showed that the storm had a circulation and a defined eye about half a degree in diameter. Gopalpur recorded the lowest barometric pressure of the storm at . The storm later made landfall near Gopalpur in the evening. As it moved inland, it weakened into a deep depression at 08:30 IST (03:00 UTC) as it was centered east-southeast from Titlagarh. It further weakened into a depression because of less conductive environment over land. On September 14, the depression weakened into a low-pressure area over east Madhya Pradesh. The remnants of the system persisted over the region for two days and later moved towards north Madhya Pradesh and adjoining Uttar Pradesh, where it remained until September 20.
The system brought rainfall over the central parts of India, the northeast region and east Uttar Pradesh.
Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Nine
Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Ten
Cyclonic Storm Eleven