Cyclone Nargis was a
strong tropical cyclone hat made landfall in Myanmar on
May 02, 2008 causing catastrophic destruction and
at least 22,980 fatalities
with a further 42,119 people
still missing, and estimates on the final total
of fatalities ranging up to 100,000.
It is the deadliest named cyclone in the North
Indian Ocean Basin, as well as the second
deadliest named cyclone of all time, behind
Typhoon Nina. Including unnamed storms,
Nargis is the 12th deadliest cyclone of all
time. Nargis was the first tropical cyclone to
strike the country since
Cyclone Mala made landfall in
2006.
The first
named storm of the
2008 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Nargis developed on
April 27 in the central
Bay of Bengal.
Initially it tracked slowly
northwestward and, encountering favorable
conditions, it quickly strengthened. Dry air
weakened the cyclone on April 29, though after beginning a steady
eastward motion Nargis rapildy intensified to attain peak winds of
at least 165 km/h (105 mph)
On May 2, the
Joint Typhoon Warning Center assessed peak
winds of 215 km/h (135 mph). The cyclone moved
ashore in the
Ayeyarwady Division of Burma near peak
intensity and, after passing near the major city
of
Yangon (Rangoon), the storm gradually
weakened until dissipating near the border of
Burma and
Thailand.
