4 of 5 cyclones this year were in severe cyclonic storms category and above

Four of the five cyclones that originated either in the Bay of Bengal or in the Arabian Sea this year were in the category of "severe cyclonic storm" or above including Amphan which had escalated into a super cyclone.

Formation of cyclones is not uncommon in the Arabian Sea during the pre-monsoon period and in the Bay of Bengal during the post-monsoon months of October to December.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director General Mrutunjay Mohapatra said since 1990 four cyclones have formed every year in the seas along the eastern and western coasts (Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea) of the country.