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{{Short description|North Indian cyclone in 1984}}
{{Infobox weather event
| image = 03B 1984-11-13 1014Z.jpg
| caption = The cyclone near the east coast of India on 13 November
| formed = 9 November 1984
| dissipated = 15 November 1984
}}{{Infobox weather event/IMD
| winds = 115
| pressure = 975
}}{{Infobox weather event/JTWC
| winds = 85
}}{{Infobox weather event/Effects
| deaths = 604
| areas = [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Tamil Nadu]]
}}{{Infobox weather event/Footer
| season= [[1984 North Indian Ocean cyclone season]]
}}
The '''1984 Sriharikota cyclone''', officially named ''Tropical Cyclone 03B'', was the worst to hit the central east coast of India in seven years. Its erratic movement along the coast of Andhra Pradesh brought intense flooding in the Indian states of [[Andhra Pradesh]] and [[Tamil Nadu]], resulting in 604 fatalities. The short-lived storm was the most powerful of the [[1984 North Indian Ocean cyclone season]].

==Background==
In 1984, the North [[Indian Ocean]] saw two uneventful cyclones prior to November 9. ''Tropical Cyclone OIA'' formed in late May, which developed over the western [[Arabian Sea]]. This storm tracked west-southwest and into the [[Gulf of Aden]]. It struck about {{cvt|65|km}} west of [[Berbera]], Somalia, where it quickly dissipated. ''Cyclone OIA'' is the first documented and one of a few tropical cyclones to transit the Gulf of Aden since space satellites began tracking in 1966.<ref name="nesdis1">{{cite web |title=Rare Tropical Cyclone in the Gulf of Aden |url=https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/rare-tropical-cyclone-the-gulf-of-aden |website=[[National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service]] |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |access-date=22 August 2022 |date=18 May 2018}}</ref> There were no casualties or damage.<ref name="84atcr">{{cite report|publisher=Joint Typhoon Warning Center|page=135, 145|title=1984 Annual Tropical Cyclone Report|access-date=22 August 2022|url= https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/atcr/1984atcr.pdf }}</ref>

On October 12, ''Tropical Cyclone 02B'' developed in the north-central Bay of Bengal. Due to the presence of [[Tropical Storm Susan (1984)|Tropical Storm Susan]] in the [[South China Sea]], it could not develop into a stronger storm. It followed a north–northwest path. The storm made landfall about {{cvt|19|km}} south of [[Balasore]], where it rapidly weakened and eventually dissipated. Heavy rains were reported but the storm did not cause damage.<ref name="84atcr" />

==Meteorological history==
{{storm path|03B 1984 track.png}}
''Tropical Cyclone 03B'' developed as a [[low-pressure area]] over the south-central Bay of Bengal on the morning of November 9. The storm intensified into a deep depression in the evening. It followed a west-northwestward path, becoming a tropical storm on November 10 and a cyclone on the 11th. By the evening, it had become a severe cyclonic storm. A break in the ridge brought it northward, where steering currents collapsed on 13th. The storm traveled north on the 12th, where a {{cvt|11–28|km}}-wide eye was observed via satellite. The storm maintained a mostly stationary position during the 13th. After attaining peak winds of {{cvt|100|mph}}, the cyclone looped slowly to the west and crossed [[Sriharikota]] in southern Andhra Pradesh on the 14th. It gradually dissipated on the 15th.<ref name="84atcr" /><ref name="Pandey89">{{cite journal |last1=Pandey |first1=M. K. |last2=Singh |first2=J. |last3=Sharma |first3=P. C. |last4=Niranjan |first4=S. |title=Satellite and radar study of Sriharikota severe cyclonic storm of November 1984 |journal=Mausam |date=1989 |volume=40 |issue=4 |pages=71–80 |doi=10.54302/mausam.v40i4.2235 |url=https://mausamjournal.imd.gov.in/index.php/MAUSAM/article/view/2235/2048|doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Impact==
The cyclone's intensification, stall and erratic movements occurred very close to the coast,<ref name="Pandey89" /> which resulted in prolonged torrential rain and flooding.<ref name="84atcr" /> A total of 604 people died.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Datta |first1=Rattan K. |last2=Indian Meteorological Society |title=Advances in Tropical Meteorology: Meteorology and National Development |date=1996 |publisher=Concept Publishing Company |isbn=8170225329 |page=421 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z0_Tc_pKXKEC&dq=The+Machilipatnam+Cyclone&pg=PA417}}</ref> Flooding affected a large area of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. A storm surge of {{cvt|20|ft}} hit the nearby village of Durgarajupatnam which led to coastal inundation up to {{cvt|3|km}} from the coast. Nearly 1,00,000 livestock were killed and 400,000 houses were destroyed in Andhra Pradesh. A {{cvt|1.4|m}} surge was recorded near [[Gudur]]. In nearby Tamil Nadu, the storm brought moderate damage and killed 54 people.

In Andhra Pradesh, over 200 villages were submerged by floodwaters. Thousands of trees were uprooted. Roads and bridges were damaged while rail and electrical services were disrupted.<ref name="rw1">{{cite web |title=India Cyclone Nov 1984 UNDRO Information Reports 1 - 2 |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/india/india-cyclone-nov-1984-undro-information-reports-1-2 |access-date=22 August 2022 |work=[[UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs]] |publisher=[[ReliefWeb]] |date=20 November 1984}}</ref> More than 70 villages around [[Pulicat Lake]] area were submerged under {{cvt|10|ft}} of water. The rough surges drowned several hundred cattle and 37 residents. There were unconfirmed reports that a village at the shore was buried along with its residents by large amounts of sand.<ref name="Venkatramani84">{{cite news |last1=Venkatramani |first1=S.H. |last2=Menon |first2=Amarnath K. |title=37 people drown, many rendered homeless as cyclone hits Tamil Nadu |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19841215-37-people-drown-many-rendered-homeless-as-cyclone-hits-tamil-nadu-803483-1984-12-15 |access-date=22 August 2022 |work=[[India Today]] |date=15 December 1984}}</ref>

Seventeen people died in Chennai, and 60,000 individuals who lived in huts became homeless. The cyclone was described as the worst [[1977 Andhra Pradesh cyclone|since 1977]] in the [[Nellore district]]. There, 816 villages across a {{cvt|7,710|km2}} area were struck by heavy winds up to {{cvt|220|mph}}. More than 270 people died before rescuers from the Indian army arrived. Another 150,000 were made homeless. About {{cvt|100|km}} north of [[Chennai]], towers and electrical poles at the [[Satish Dhawan Space Centre]] on [[Sriharikota]] island were ripped out.<ref name="rw1" /> Villages and their residents in northern Tamil Nadu and the south Andhra Pradesh coast were left in extreme conditions. A survivor recalled having to cling onto a tree for two days to escape the water.<ref name="Venkatramani84" />

==Response==
Six satellites were operating during the duration of the storm which provided warning to the area. This was in response to the 1977 cyclone, hence the death toll was lower this time. Many [[AIADMK]] ministers from Tamil Nadu had moved to [[New Delhi]] to attend to [[1984 Indian general election|electoral matters]] with the [[Indian National Congress|Congress]] when the cyclone struck. Officials, food and other emergency supplies were rushed to four districts, including Nellore prior to the cyclone's arrival. Rescue operstions took place as soon as the storm subsided.<ref name="Venkatramani84" /> After the disaster, [[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]] [[Rajiv Gandhi]] ordered an assessment team to evaluate the damage in the affected states. [[N. T. Rama Rao]] and Prime Minister Gandhi participated in an aerial survey of the area. Prime Minister Gandhi later allocated ₹[[Indian rupees|100 million]] for relief efforts.<ref name="Venkatramani84" />

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite journal |last1=Pal |first1=P. K. |last2=Rao |first2=B. M. |last3=Kishtawal |first3=C. M. |last4=Narayanan |first4=M. S. |last5=Rajkumar |first5=G. |title=Cyclone track prediction using INSAT data |journal=Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Sciences - Earth and Planetary Sciences |date=1989 |volume=98 |issue=4 |pages=353–364 |doi=10.1007/BF02839439 |s2cid=127428879 |url=https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/jess/098/04/0353-0364|doi-access=free }}

[[Category:1984 North Indian Ocean cyclone season]]
[[Category:Tropical cyclones in 1984]]
[[Category:1984 disasters in India]]
[[Category:Tropical cyclones in India]]
[[Category:1980s in Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:1980s in Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Satish Dhawan Space Centre]]

1984 Sriharikota cyclone - Revision history

MellissaFortier at 16:28, 30 July 2025