Reflecting On the Numbers Behind Cyclone o5B! (credit: History.com via This Day in Weather History)

DISCUSSION: It is crazy to think that this was a little 17 years ago today, but nonetheless, back on 28 October 1999 a truly remarkable tropical cyclone which was referred to as Cyclone 05B intensified all the way to the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane.  This powerful tropical cyclone remains to be the strongest tropical cyclone on-record in the North Indian Ocean basin. Cyclone 05B hit the Indian State of Odisha near the city of Bhubaneswar on October 29th which wreaked absolute havoc on the region for a prolonged period of time (i.e., both prior to, during, and after the core circulation moved ashore). An estimated 10,000 people lost their lives as a direct result of this tropical cyclone's impacts along with 1.67 million people were consequently left homeless.  Certainly, a tropical cyclone which will forever go down in history and leave a long-lasting impression on the hearts and minds of people across the country of India for many generations to come!

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~Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz