In May 2003, a tropical cyclone officially called Very Severe Cyclonic Storm BOB 01 produced the worst flooding in Sri Lanka in 56 years. In southwestern Sri Lanka, the rainfall caused flooding and landslides that destroyed 24,750 homes and damaged 32,426 others. Overall damage totaled about USD 135 million, and there were 260 deaths. It possibly contributed to a heat wave that killed 1,900 people, and dropped heavy rainfall in Myanmar.
About 2003 Sri Lanka cyclone in brief
In May 2003, a tropical cyclone officially called Very Severe Cyclonic Storm BOB 01 produced the worst flooding in Sri Lanka in 56 years. The first storm of the 2003 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, it developed over the Bay of Bengal on May 10. Favorable environmental conditions allowed the system to intensify steadily while moving northwestward. The storm reached peak maximum sustained winds of 140 kmh on May 13, making it a very severe cyclonic storm. It came ashore in western Myanmar and dissipated over land the following day. In southwestern Sri Lanka, the rainfall caused flooding and landslides that destroyed 24,750 homes and damaged 32,426 others, displacing about 800,000 people. Overall damage totaled about USD 135 million, and there were 260 deaths. The cyclone also produced some rainfall in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India and along the country’s eastern coast. It possibly contributed to a heat wave that killed 1,900 people, and dropped heavy rainfall in Myanmar. In post-season analysis, the agency revised the storm’s maximum winds to 110 kmh. The intensity estimate was based on a satellite-derived Dvorak number of 4. 5, limited chiefly by the lack of an eye feature. After peaking in intensity, the storm began weakening due to increasing easterly wind shear from the ridge to the north. By late late May, convection had largely dissipated, with the exception of a small area near the center of the storm, and the system weakened to minimal cyclonicStorm status.
It dissipated on May 16. The next day, the deep depression re-intensified into acyclonic storm, reaching a secondary 10kmh peak with winds of 85kmh. On May 18, it passed northwest of the northwest Andaman Islands and later to the northeast, passing the northeast of the northeast coast of Sri Lanka. It then dissipated in the Indian Ocean near the island of Lakshadweep, near the Indian island of Kanyakumari. In the wake of prolonged precipitation during the first half of May, the cyclone produced torrential rains across southwest Sri Lanka while stationary in the centralBay of Bengal. It was the first of three storms to form in the region in the 2003 season. The system was driven toward the north by a ridge of high pressure to the Northeast. It later weakened to a deep depression before it curved northeastward and re-interfering into a cyclonic Storm. It is still classified as Tropical Cyclone 01B by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center and is currently located about 700 km east of Sri Lankan coast. At the time, the Cyclone was located about700 km east of the Sri Lanka coast. The storm continued to intensify, becoming a very severe cyclonic storm on May 12.
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This page is based on the article 2003 Sri Lanka cyclone published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 05, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
