Cyclone Fani

Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Fani (/ˈfɒniː/ Foni) was the worst tropical cyclone to strike the Indian state of Odisha since the 1999 Odisha cyclone. The second named storm and the first severe cyclonic storm of the 2019 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Fani originated from a tropical depression that formed west of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean on 26th April. Vertical wind shear, at first, hindered the storm's development, but conditions became more favorable for Fani on 30th April. Fani rapidly intensified, as a result, peaking at an Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm with winds of 215 km/h (130 mph). The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) assessed its peak as a Category 5-equivalent intensity with winds of 280 km/h (175 mph), making it the strongest north Indian Ocean tropical cyclone on record in terms of 1-minute sustained winds. Fani slightly weakened before making landfall in Odisha a few days later. Its convective structure rapidly degraded thereafter, degenerating into a remnant low on 4th May, and dissipating on the next day. It was the second-costliest Northern Indian tropical cyclone on record until it was surpassed by Cyclone Amphan in 2020.

Prior to Fani's landfall, authorities in India and Bangladesh moved at least a million people each from areas within Fani's projected path onto higher ground, and into cyclone shelters, which is thought to have reduced the resultant death toll and casualties. Fani killed at least 89 people in eastern India and Bangladesh and caused about US$8.1 billion in damages in both India and Bangladesh, mostly in Odisha, in India.