| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 2 October 1864 |
| Dissipated | 7 October 1864 |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 60,000+ |
| Areas affected | India |
Part of the1864 North Indian Ocean cyclone season | |
On 5 October 1864, most of the areas of Calcutta (present-dayKolkata),India was inundated and destroyed by atropical cyclone. Dubbed the1864 Calcutta cyclone, the storm caused over 60,000 fatalities in its wake. The cyclone crossed the coast ofWest Bengal to the south ofHooghly River, one of the streams that are included in theGanges River Delta. The majority of the deaths were from drowning and the others from sicknesses prevailing before the storm. The said river overflowed due to astorm surge and as the water rushed inland, everything in its course were washed away. The city, the other surrounding areas, and some harbors had to be rebuilt after the cyclone. There was also a fundraising event established, but it failed. The total damages from the said storm were atRs 99,200.
The cyclone was first noted on 2 October to the west ofAndaman Islands.[1] However, a stormy pattern has been observed in the Andamans, starting on 27 to 30 September.[1]Moneka, a ship to the west of the Andamans, experienced "dark, rainy, squally weather and west-southwestward winds, with a low barometer amount" on 1 October.[1] The ship was heading west-northwest at that time and experienced this conditions until midnight.[1] On the next day, the ship's course is still the same, the weather is described ascloudy but not raining.[1] By afternoon, the sky lookedvery black and lowering (possibly referring to the barometer count) and the seas were rising.[1] By midnight that day, the weather conditions are still the same.[1] From observations inPort Blair and the ship Moneka, the vortex of the cyclone formed on the afternoon of 2 October.[1] However, by yesterday, despite the weather observations at the capital of Andamans and the ship were stormy, there were no observations of acirculation (present-daytropical disturbance).[1] On all available records, the developing cyclone possibly moved to the northwest then turned north.[1] Another ship, dubbedConflict' experiencedlight variable winds from west-northwest and north-northwest, starting from the sunrise of October 2.[1] The sun rose upblood-red and the stars had asickly appearance.[1] The barometer is still being high on the said ship.[1]
From midnight of 2 to 10 October am of the next day, the ship Moneka experienced a fresh breeze to the west while a very black sky is observed to the north.[1] From 10 am onwards, heavy rains started to pour and winds started to impact the ship with short break intervals.[1] The barometric pressure on the ship at that time is 29.61 inHg (1003 mbar).[1] Another ship named Wayfarer which was bound forCalcutta had experienced strong breeze and deluge of rains on 2 and 3 October.[1] Starting on 4 October, heavy rains and gusty winds impacted the shores of Calcutta and the nearbyEast Bengal.[1] As the time progresses, the rain decreases but the wind remained strong.[1] Three fires were present on Calcutta as the cyclone approaches.[1] The cyclone crossed the coast the East Coast of India to the south of theHooghly River on 5 October. A factory near the coast experienced hurricane-force winds and torrential rainfall, with the said river also rising.[1]Dacca, 105 mi (169 km) from the cyclone, observed patterns of strong air which is "not that strong", based on observations of residents there.[1] Thunderstorms were seen throughout the area on the night of 5 October, being accompanied by strong torrential rains.[1] Some areas in the northeastern Indian state ofAssam also seen rains and strong winds.[1] The cyclone moved north-northeast and is believed to be dissipated on 7 October, inland, possibly near or onEast Bengal (present-day Bangladesh).[1]
At exactly 14:30 UTC (10:00 pmIST) on 5 October, as conditions calmed, some employees of the factory near the coast ofCalcutta went outside to observe, founding that many trees were uprooted, kutcha houses destroyed and boats sunk.[1][2] A rainfall amount of 24 inches (610 mm) were observed.[1] The ports ofKhejuri andHijli were reported to be destroyed and many ships were either damaged and/or sank in theBay of Bengal.[3][4] Tens of thousands of straw and tiled huts were washed out and destroyed by strong winds.[1][3] TheHooghly River overflowed, drowning an unknown people and a storm wave (storm surge) were also seen in the area, killing another unknown number of individuals.[1][3][5] Dacca, which is nearly 170 kilometers south-southwest of the landfall point, also experienced the brunt of the storm.[1] No major damage were seen, but some boats were destroyed in the waters off theBay of Bengal.[1]
There were already a few sicknesses prevalent inCalcutta before the cyclone, namelycholera,dysentery andsmallpox.[1] InMidnapore, the deaths were mainly from these, but the total fatalities were unknown.[1] ThePergunnah Gomai recorded 23 deaths from drowning and another estimated amount of 526 more from sickness.[1] InTeraparah, the authorities there reported 132 victims of drowning and 515 deaths of the illnesses.[1] InMysaudal, the loss from the storm surge was at 3,740 and the sickness at 4,243.[1] InCassimnugger, the losses from drowning were at 686, while the sickness at an estimate of 496.[1] No other reports of deaths were recorded, but it is estimated that the cyclone killed over 60,000.[3] Telephone lines were downed and in total, Calcutta was heavily destroyed by this cyclone.[3][5]
The total death toll from the cyclone were estimated at 60,000[nb 1], mainly due to drowning while the total damages were atRs 99,200 with the majority coming from dockyard building damages.[1][3]
In the following months after the cyclone, the area, ports, and the whole city were rebuilt.[5] Some residents of Calcutta started a fundraiser, but it failed.[4]
