2026 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
Annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation
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The 2026 North Indian Ocean cyclone season is the ongoing annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation in the North Indian Ocean basin. The season has no official bounds, but most cyclones tend to form between April and December, with the peak from May to November. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northern Indian Ocean.
(3-minute sustained)
| 2026 North Indian Ocean cyclone season | |
|---|---|
Season summary map | |
| Seasonal boundaries | |
| First system formed | 7 January 2026 |
| Last system dissipated | Season ongoing |
| Strongest storm | |
| Name | BOB 06 |
| • Maximum winds | 55 km/h (35 mph) (3-minute sustained) |
| • Lowest pressure | 988 hPa (mbar) |
| Seasonal statistics | |
| Depressions | 7 |
| Deep depressions | 4 |
| Cyclonic storms | 0 |
| Severe cyclonic storms | 0 |
| Very severe cyclonic storms | 0 |
| Extremely severe cyclonic storms | 0 |
| Super cyclonic storms | 0 |
| Total fatalities | 217 |
| Total damage | > $367 million (2026 USD) |
| Related articles | |
The scope of this article is limited to the Indian Ocean in the Northern Hemisphere, east of the Horn of Africa and west of the Malay Peninsula. There are two main seas in the North Indian Ocean: the Arabian Sea to the west of the Indian subcontinent, abbreviated ARB by the India Meteorological Department (IMD); and the Bay of Bengal to the east as BOB. The systems that form over land are abbreviated as LAND.
The official Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre in this basin is the IMD, while the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) releases unofficial advisories. On average, three to four cyclonic storms form in this basin every season.[1]
Season summary
Systems
Deep Depression BOB 01
On 7 January, a low-pressure area intensified into a depression over the Bay of Bengal.[2] It then further intensified into a deep depression on the morning of 8 January while moving west-northwestwards.[3] The system made landfall over Sri Lanka as a depression and crossed the country before weakening into a well marked low pressure area in the Gulf of Mannar on 10 January.[citation needed]
Depression BOB 02
After nearly half a year of inactivity in the North Indian Ocean basin, on 5 July, the IMD classified a depression in the Bay of Bengal, labeling it as BOB 02. It was assessed with a T1.5 classification prompting maximum 3-minute sustained winds of 30 mph (45 km/h) and a minimum central pressure of 991 mbar (29.2 inHg). The depression later made landfall over northern Odisha at 09:00 UTC.[4] After making landfall, the depression remained stationary over north Chhattisghar throughout 6 July.[5] It later degenerated into a well marked low pressure area over east Madhya Pradesh the next day.[6]
Deep Depression BOB 03
On 26 July, a depression formed over the northwest Bay of Bengal and was subsequently given the designation BOB 03 by the IMD.[7] The JTWC promptly issued tropical weather advisories on the depression, stating that the depression consisted of a broad low-level circulation producing persistent deep convection over the southern periphery of the storm.[8]
BOB 03 has caused heavy rainfall and flooding in Odisha, killing 8. Five of the deaths were in the Keonjhar district, including a fire service personnel member who was electrocuted. Three of the deaths occurred in the Dhenkanal, Deogarh, and Sambalpur districts.[9] Flooding in Chhattisgarh caused at least 5 deaths.[10] Heavy rainfall and flooding triggered a building collapse in Bhiwandi, Maharashtra, killing 10. A wall collapse killed one in Buldhana, and a lightning strike killed one in Chandrapur.[11] Following heavy rainfall, a 70-year-old Hyderabad man was washed away after falling into an open manhole.[12] On 31 July, heavy rain caused four deaths in Gujarat, including three who were electrocuted in Gandeva village and an 11-year-old girl swept away in a canal in Borsad Chowkdi in Anand.[13][14] An 8-year-old girl died and four family members were injured when the roof of their house collapsed in Jodhpur.[15]
Depression BOB 04
On 13 August, the IMD classified a depression southeast of Kolkata whilst inland, labeling it as BOB 04.[16] The depression consisted of a lopsided structure with the majority of its convective organization situated to the west of the low-level circulation (LLC).[17] BOB 04 was short-lived, degenerating into a well marked low pressure area over Jharkhand on 14 August.[18]
Depression BOB 05
On 17 August, the IMD classified another depression, marked BOB 05 inland West Bengal. It slowly moved to the west-northwest, as the majority of its convection laid to the south and southeast of the depression’s center.[19] BOB 05 was another short-lived depression, degenerating into a Well Marked Low Pressure Area over North Jharkhand on 19 August.[20]
Deep Depression BOB 06
On 21 September, the IMD classified a depression over the northwest Bay of Bengal, labeling it as BOB 06.[21] On 22 September, BOB 06 intensified into a Deep Depression over the west-central and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal while moving west-northwestward toward the south Odisha and north Andhra Pradesh coast.[22] The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) followed suit, upgrading the system to a tropical storm and giving it the designation 01B.[23]
BOB 06 caused severe flooding and torrential rainfall in Uttar Pradesh, killing at least 81 people and injuring 62 others, along with the deaths of 154 animals. Uttar Pradesh also received an average of 66.5 mm of rain in a 48-hour-period, and 2254 houses were reportedly damaged.[24][25] Eight deaths were recorded in Chhattisgarh. Five were due to lightning strikes, one was from a mud house collapse, and one drowned in a flooded drain.[26][27][28] In Odisha, intense rain triggered wall collapses and killed two people.[29][30] Heavy rainfall caused nine deaths in Andhra Pradesh.[31] Across Nepal, flooding and landslides caused 31 deaths.[32][33][34] There was also an avalanche that killed at least four at the Himlung Himal base in Nepal.[35][36][37] On 1 October, the death toll increased to 15 after the avalanche.[38] On 25 and 26 September, BOB 06 caused a severe snowstorm in Burang County, Tibet, according to the Culture and Tourism Bureau of Burang County.[39]
Deep Depression BOB 07
| Deep depression (IMD) | |
  | |
| Duration | 28 September (entered basin) – 30 September |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 55 km/h (35 mph) (3-min); 1002 hPa (mbar) |
On September 26, the IMD began monitoring an upper level cyclonic circulation over southern Thailand and Myanmar, related to the remnants of a tropical depression that existed in the western Pacific the previous day on September 25.[40] The following day, the IMD stated that a low pressure area developed under the influence of the upper air cyclonic circulation.[41] Later, the JTWC issued a TCFA for the system, citing a high chance of development within 24 hours.[42] On September 28, the IMD upgraded the well-marked low pressure area to a depression.[43] Later that day, the IMD upgraded the system further to a deep depression.[44] Later on, the JTWC cancelled the TCFA as the system moved inland.[45] The following day, the IMD reported that the system weakened to a depression.[46] On September 30, the IMD reported that the system weakened to a well-marked low pressure area.[47]
A flood disaster emergency was declared in Bangkok following 48 hours of continuous heavy rain from the system, flooding main roads[48] and triggering mass evacuations.[49] Over 300 mm of rain was recorded in certain parts of Bangkok with flood waters blocking main road traffic in 37 locations.[50] The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) reported that it will take between 2–3 days to drain the floodwaters after the rain stops.[51] A 58-year-old woman was killed after being electrocuted in the car park of a housing complex in Khlong Chan.[52] Two fatalities were confirmed in Bueng Kum district: a 73-year-old man who drowned after slipping and falling while moving belongings from his house and a 78-year-old bedridden man that drowned after being unable to evacuate in the same district.[53] Outside of Bangkok, over half a million people have been affected in 25 provinces with 8 dead as a result. Samut Prakan, just south of Bangkok, was the most severely hit.[54] Pattaya experienced flooding, although less severe than Bangkok.[55] On 29 September, death toll from the floods rose to 23 people, including four in Bangkok, and caused at least ฿11 billion in damages.[56][57]
Storm names
Within this basin, a tropical cyclone is assigned a name when it is judged to have reached cyclonic storm intensity with winds of 65 km/h (40 mph). There is no retirement of tropical cyclone names in this basin as the list of names is only scheduled to be used once before a new list of names is drawn up. Should a named tropical cyclone move into the basin from the Western Pacific, then it will retain its original name. The next eight available names from the list of North Indian Ocean storm names are below.[58]
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Season effects
This is a table of all storms in the 2026 North Indian Ocean cyclone season. It mentions all of the season's storms and their names, duration, peak intensities according to the IMD storm scale, damage, and death totals. Damage and death totals include the damage and deaths caused when that storm was a precursor wave or extratropical low. All of the damage figures are in 2026 USD.
| Name | Dates | Peak intensity | Areas affected | Damage (USD) |
Deaths | Ref(s). | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Wind speed | Pressure | ||||||
| BOB 01 | 7–10 January | Deep depression | 55 km/h (35 mph) | 1004 hPa (29.65 inHg) | Sri Lanka, South India | Unknown | None | |
| BOB 02 | 5–7 July | Depression | 45 km/h (30 mph) | 991 hPa (29.26 inHg) | East India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Central India, North India | Unknown | None | |
| BOB 03 | 26 July–1 August | Deep depression | 55 km/h (35 mph) | 989 hPa (29.21 inHg) | India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan | Unknown | 31 | [9][10][11][13] |
| BOB 04 | 13–14 August | Depression | 45 km/h (30 mph) | 996 hPa (29.41 inHg) | East India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Central India | Unknown | None | |
| BOB 05 | 17–19 August | Depression | 45 km/h (30 mph) | 996 hPa (29.41 inHg) | East India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Central India, North India | Unknown | None | |
| BOB 06 | 21–27 September | Deep depression | 55 km/h (35 mph) | 988 hPa (29.18 inHg) | Thailand, Myanmar, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, East India, Bangladesh, South India, North India, Nepal, Tibet | Unknown | 146 | [24][25][26][29][31][34][38] |
| BOB 07 | 28–30 September | Deep depression | 55 km/h (35 mph) | 1002 hPa (29.59 inHg) | Thailand, Myanmar, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bangladesh, Northeast India | >$367 million | 40 | [57][59] |
| Season aggregates | ||||||||
| 7 systems | 7 January – Season ongoing | 55 km/h (35 mph) | 988 hPa (29.18 inHg) | >$367 million | 217 | |||
See also
- Weather of 2026
- Tropical cyclones in 2026
- 2026 Atlantic hurricane season
- 2026 Pacific hurricane season
- 2026 Pacific typhoon season
- South-West Indian Ocean cyclone seasons: 2025–26, 2026–27
- Australian region cyclone seasons: 2025–26, 2026–27
- South Pacific cyclone seasons: 2025–26, 2026–27
