Cyclones in Bangladesh
Cyclones only occur occasionally in Bangladesh. On average, they happen about 3 times a year. The hardest hit regions are Khulna, Chittagong and Dhaka.The typical cyclone season depends on the summer monsoon. In the months before (May to June) and after (October to November), the most severe storms occur.
The most severe cyclone to make landfall in Bangladesh in the past 12 months was »Mocha«. It reached a wind speed of up to 194 km/h on May 14, 2023 at 6:00 pm local time near Teknaf and was 19 kilometers in diameter at the time. According to the internationally accepted Saffir-Simpson classification, this corresponded to a category 3 cyclone. On the open sea, speeds of up to 256 km/h were measured (category 5).
Other natural hazards in Bangladesh:
› Earthquakes
› Tsunamis
› The most severe cyclones in the world
Back to overview: Bangladesh
Current satellite image of the Indian Ocean
08.06.2023 © CIMSS University of Wisconsin-Madison
Most violent cyclones in Bangladesh since 2018
Mocha: May 11-14, 2023
Region:
Bay of Bengal
Wind speed:
max. 256 km/h
on land:
max. 194 km/h
Diameter:
max. 259 km
Air pressure:
below 918 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 5
Affected regions
Chittagong
Chittagong
Sitrang: October 23-24, 2022
Region:
Bay of Bengal
Wind speed:
max. 83 km/h
Diameter:
max. 1222 km
Air pressure:
below 994 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
tropical storm
Affected regions
Chittagong
Barisal
Dhaka
Chittagong
Barisal
Dhaka
Jawad: December 3-6, 2021
Region:
Bay of Bengal
Wind speed:
max. 65 km/h
Diameter:
max. 130 km
Air pressure:
below 997 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
tropical storm
The cyclone did not make direct landfall in Bangladesh. On December 6th, 2021 at 6:00 am it had the shortest distance at about 66 km southeast of Satkhira in Khulna.
Instead, the first landfall occurred near Puri in India on December 5th at 3:00 pm.
Instead, the first landfall occurred near Puri in India on December 5th at 3:00 pm.
Jawad: November 30 to December 6, 2021
Region:
Bay of Bengal
Wind speed:
max. 74 km/h
on land:
max. 46 km/h
Diameter:
max. 926 km
Air pressure:
below 1000 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
tropical storm
Affected regions
Khulna
Khulna
Gulab:shaheen Gu: September 24 to October 4, 2021
Region:
Bay of Bengal
Wind speed:
max. 130 km/h
Diameter:
max. 296 km
Air pressure:
below 974 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 1
The cyclone did not make direct landfall in Bangladesh. On September 24th, 2021 at 12:00 pm it had the shortest distance at about 173 km south of Teknaf in Chittagong.
Instead, the first landfall occurred near Sompeta in India on September 26th at 3:00 pm.
Instead, the first landfall occurred near Sompeta in India on September 26th at 3:00 pm.
Gulab:shaheen Gu: September 23 to October 4, 2021
Region:
Bay of Bengal
Wind speed:
max. 111 km/h
on land:
max. 59 km/h
Diameter:
max. 556 km
Air pressure:
below 984 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
tropical storm
Affected regions
Chittagong
Chittagong
Yaas: May 24-27, 2021
Region:
Bay of Bengal
Wind speed:
max. 119 km/h
Diameter:
max. 259 km
Air pressure:
below 974 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
tropical storm
The cyclone did not make direct landfall in Bangladesh. On May 26th, 2021 at 12:00 pm it had the shortest distance at about 201 km southeast of Satkhira in Khulna.
Instead, the first landfall occurred near Balasore in India on May 26th at 6:00 am.
Instead, the first landfall occurred near Balasore in India on May 26th at 6:00 am.
Yaas: May 23-27, 2021
Region:
Bay of Bengal
Wind speed:
max. 139 km/h
Diameter:
max. 796 km
Air pressure:
below 970 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 1
Affected regions
Khulna
Rajshahi
Khulna
Rajshahi
Amphan: May 15-21, 2020
Region:
Bay of Bengal
Wind speed:
max. 241 km/h
on land:
max. 120 km/h
Diameter:
max. 644 km
Eye:
max. 37 km
Air pressure:
below 920 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 4
Affected regions
Khulna
Rajshahi
Dhaka
Rangpur Division
Khulna
Rajshahi
Dhaka
Rangpur Division
Bulbul:matmo: October 28 to November 11, 2019
Region:
Bay of Bengal
Wind speed:
max. 139 km/h
on land:
max. 83 km/h
Diameter:
max. 704 km
Air pressure:
below 976 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 1
Affected regions
Khulna
Barisal
Chittagong
Khulna
Barisal
Chittagong
Fani: April 25 to May 4, 2019
Region:
Bay of Bengal
Wind speed:
max. 213 km/h
on land:
max. 74 km/h
Diameter:
max. 185 km
Eye:
max. 56 km
Air pressure:
below 932 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 4
Affected regions
Khulna
Rajshahi
Dhaka
Khulna
Rajshahi
Dhaka
These evaluations are based on data from the National Centers for Environmental Information of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Individual data have been summarized or translated.