Kingofworld at 20:13, 9 April 2026

2026-04-09T20:13:57Z

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{{Short description| Tropical cyclone in the North Indian Ocean}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2022}}
{{infobox weather event
| image =
| caption =
| formed = 2 October 1864
| dissipated = 7 October 1864
}}{{infobox weather event/Effects
| year = 1864
| fatalities = 60,000+
| damage =
| areas = [[India]]
| refs =
}}{{infobox weather event/Footer
| season = [[Pre-1890 North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons|1864 North Indian Ocean cyclone season]]
}}
On 5 October 1864, most of the areas of Calcutta (present-day [[Kolkata]]), [[India]] were inundated and destroyed by a [[tropical cyclone]]. Dubbed the '''1864 Calcutta cyclone''', the storm caused over 60,000 fatalities in its wake. The cyclone crossed the coast of [[West Bengal]] to the south of [[Hooghly River]], one of the streams that are included in the [[Ganges|Ganges River Delta]]. The majority of the deaths were from drowning and the others from sicknesses prevailing before the storm. The said river overflowed due to a [[storm surge]] and as the water rushed inland, everything in its course was washed away. The city, the other surrounding areas, and some harbors had to be rebuilt after the cyclone. There was also a fundraising event established, but it failed. The total damages from the said storm were at [[Indian rupee|Rs]] 99,200.

== Observations ==
The cyclone was first noted on 2 October to the west of [[Andaman Islands]].<ref name="Harvard">{{Cite book|last1=Gastrell|first1=James Eardley|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3khBrTZHDM8C|title=Report on the Calcutta Cyclone of the 5th October 1864|last2=Blanford|first2=Henry Francis|date=1866|publisher=O.T. Cutter Military Orphan Press|language=en|accessdate=4 December 2022|archiveurl=https://archive.org/details/reportoncalcutt00blangoog/page/n4/mode/2up|archivedate=11 May 2009}}</ref> However, a stormy pattern had been observed in the Andamans, starting on 27 to 30 September.<ref name="Harvard" /> ''Moneka'', a ship to the west of the Andamans, experienced "dark, rainy, squally weather and west-southwestward winds, with a low barometer amount" on 1 October.<ref name="Harvard" /> The ship was heading west-northwest at that time and experienced these conditions until midnight.<ref name="Harvard" /> On the next day, the ship's course was still the same, the weather was described as ''cloudy but not raining''.<ref name="Harvard" /> By afternoon, the sky looked ''very black and lowering (possibly referring to the barometer count)'' and the seas were rising.<ref name="Harvard" /> By midnight that day, the weather conditions were still the same.<ref name="Harvard" /> From observations in [[Port Blair]] and the ship Moneka, the vortex of the cyclone formed on the afternoon of 2 October.<ref name="Harvard" /> However, by yesterday, despite the weather observations at the capital of Andamans and the ship were stormy, there were no observations of a [[Atmospheric circulation|circulation]] (present-day [[tropical disturbance]]).<ref name="Harvard" /> On all available records, the developing cyclone possibly moved to the northwest then turned north.<ref name="Harvard" /> Another ship, dubbed ''Conflict' experienced ''light variable winds'' from west-northwest and north-northwest, starting from the sunrise of October 2.<ref name="Harvard" /> The sun rose up ''blood-red'' and the stars had a ''sickly appearance''.<ref name="Harvard" /> The barometer is still being high on the said ship.<ref name="Harvard" />''

From midnight of 2 to 10 October am of the next day, the ship Moneka experienced a fresh breeze to the west while a very black sky is observed to the north.<ref name="Harvard" /> From 10 am onwards, heavy rains started to pour and winds started to impact the ship with short break intervals.<ref name="Harvard" /> The barometric pressure on the ship at that time is {{cvt|29.61|inHg|mbar|comma=off}}.<ref name="Harvard" /> Another ship named Wayfarer which was bound for [[Calcutta]] had experienced strong breeze and deluge of rains on 2 and 3 October.<ref name="Harvard" /> Starting on 4 October, heavy rains and gusty winds impacted the shores of Calcutta and the nearby [[Bangladesh|East Bengal]].<ref name="Harvard" /> As the time progresses, the rain decreases but the wind remained strong.<ref name="Harvard" /> Three fires were present on Calcutta as the cyclone approaches.<ref name="Harvard" /> The cyclone crossed the coast the East Coast of India to the south of the [[Hooghly River]] on 5 October. A factory near the coast experienced hurricane-force winds and torrential rainfall, with the said river also rising.<ref name="Harvard" /> [[Dhaka|Dacca]], {{cvt|105|mi|km}} from the cyclone, observed patterns of strong air which is "not that strong", based on observations of residents there.<ref name="Harvard" /> Thunderstorms were seen throughout the area on the night of 5 October, being accompanied by strong torrential rains.<ref name="Harvard" /> Some areas in the northeastern Indian state of [[Assam]] also seen rains and strong winds.<ref name="Harvard" /> The cyclone moved north-northeast and is believed to be dissipated on 7 October, inland, possibly near or on [[East Bengal]] (present-day Bangladesh).<ref name="Harvard" />

== Impacts and aftermath ==
[[File:Damages from 1864 Calcutta cyclone.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The damages in a port harbour on [[Calcutta]].]]
At exactly 14:30 UTC (10:00 pm [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]) on 5 October, as conditions calmed, some employees of the factory near the coast of [[Calcutta]] went outside to observe, founding that many trees were uprooted, kutcha houses destroyed and boats sunk.<ref name="Harvard" /><ref>{{Cite news|date=1864-11-24|title=GENERAL NEWS.; INDIA. THE CYCLONE AT CALCUTTA.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1864/11/24/archives/general-news-india-the-cyclone-at-calcutta.html|access-date=2021-04-30|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> A rainfall amount of {{convert|24|in|mm}} were observed.<ref name="Harvard" /> The ports of [[Khejuri]] and [[Hijli]] were reported to be destroyed and many ships were either damaged and/or sank in the [[Bay of Bengal]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Saihgal|first=Tanya|date=5 October 2018|title=154 years ago, this infamous cyclone in Calcutta took over 60,000 lives and flooded the entire city|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/calcutta-cyclone-1864-1356569-2018-10-05|url-status=live|access-date=30 April 2021|website=India Today|location=New Delhi|language=en|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181006043941/https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/calcutta-cyclone-1864-1356569-2018-10-05 |archive-date = 2018-10-06 }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite news|date=1864-11-23|title=LOSSES BY THE CYCLONE|pages=4|work=The Essex County Standard, etc.|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/76746272/losses-by-the-cyclone/|access-date=2021-04-30}}</ref> Tens of thousands of straw and tiled huts were washed out and destroyed by strong winds.<ref name="Harvard" /><ref name=":1" /> The [[Hooghly River]] overflowed, drowning an unknown people and a storm wave (storm surge) was also seen in the area, killing another unknown number of individuals.<ref name="Harvard" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Calcutta Cyclone – India – October 5, 1864 – Devastating Disasters|url=https://devastatingdisasters.com/calcutta-cyclone-india-october-5-1864/|access-date=2021-04-30|language=en-US}}</ref> Dacca, which is nearly 170 kilometers south-southwest of the landfall point, also experienced the brunt of the storm.<ref name="Harvard" /> No major damage was seen, but some boats were destroyed in the waters off the [[Bay of Bengal]].<ref name="Harvard" />

[[File:1864 Calcutta Cyclone.JPG|thumb|left|250px|The ships on another harbour, possibly before the cyclone.]]
There were already a few sicknesses prevalent in [[Calcutta]] before the cyclone, namely [[cholera]], [[dysentery]] and [[smallpox]].<ref name="Harvard" /> In [[Midnapore]], the deaths were mainly from these, but the total fatalities were unknown.<ref name="Harvard" /> The [[Pargana|Pergunnah Gomai]] recorded 23 deaths from drowning and another estimated amount of 526 more from sickness.<ref name="Harvard" /> In [[Tipperah District|Teraparah]], the authorities there reported 132 victims of drowning and 515 deaths of the illnesses.<ref name="Harvard" /> In [[Mahishadal|Mysaudal]], the loss from the storm surge was at 3,740 and the sickness at 4,243.<ref name="Harvard" /> In [[Kashimnagar|Cassimnugger]], the losses from drowning were at 686, while the sickness at an estimate of 496.<ref name="Harvard" /> No other reports of deaths were recorded, but it is estimated that the cyclone killed over 60,000.<ref name=":1" /> Telephone lines were downed and in total, Calcutta was heavily destroyed by this cyclone.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />

The total death toll from the cyclone was estimated at 60,000{{#tag:ref|No exact numbers existed.|group="nb"}}, mainly due to drowning while the total damages were at [[Indian rupee|Rs]] 99,200 with the majority coming from dockyard building damages.<ref name="Harvard" /><ref name=":1" />

In the following months after the cyclone, the area, ports, and the whole city were rebuilt.<ref name=":2" /> Some residents of Calcutta started a fundraiser, but it failed.<ref name=":3" />

== See also ==
{{Portal|Tropical cyclones|India}}
* [[1839 Coringa cyclone]] - another deadly cyclone in India during 1839.
* [[Cyclone Nargis]] - a deadly cyclone that killed over 138,300 individuals in [[Burma]] in 2008.
* [[1970 Bhola cyclone]] - the deadliest tropical cyclone worldwide, with a death toll of over 500,000.

==Notes==
{{reflist|group =nb}}

== References ==

{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzozMIGDNL8 The Calcutta Cyclone in 1864 | Today In History by the UNTV News and Rescue], YouTube

[[Category:1864 in India]]
[[Category:Meteorological events in 1864]]
[[Category:19th century in Kolkata]]
[[Category:October 1864]]
[[Category:Natural disasters in India]]
[[Category:Tropical cyclones in India]]
[[Category:1864 disasters]]
[[Category:1860s disasters in Asia]]
[[Category:19th-century disasters in India]]

1864 Calcutta cyclone - Revision history

Kingofworld at 20:13, 9 April 2026