Comparative analysis of vital parameters of extremely severe cyclonic storms Phailin and Hudhud over the Bay of Bengal

Two extremely severe cyclonic storms (ESCSs) Phailin and Hudhud developed over the Bay of Bengal (BoB) during October 2013 and 2014 and crossed the east coast of India near Gopalpur (Odisha) and Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) at 1700 UTC of 12th October 2013 and 0700 UTC of 12th October 2014, respectively, causing immense loss of property. Considering the devastating effect associated with the typical characteristics of the two tropical cyclones (TCs) and their occurrence during same period of the post-monsoon season, a study has been undertaken to compare the vital parameters including location, movement, intensity, size, etc., of these TCs. The results of this study can be utilized for better understanding and prediction of structural characteristics of TCs over the north Indian Ocean (NIO) and hence the associated adverse weather like heavy rain, gale wind and storm surge. The higher intensity, higher rate of intensification, longer duration in very severe cyclonic storm (VSCS) or higher stage, lower rate of decay after landfall and larger size were the typical characteristics in the case of TC Phailin leading to its higher damage potential in terms of accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) and hence higher loss in terms of power dissipation index (PDI) as compared to TC Hudhud.