Hurricane History Map

1972 South-West Indian season

15 storms formed in the South-West Indian basin in 1972, from 9 July 1971 to 14 April 1972.

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Years1972
Ocean basin

Choosing a minimum category hides storms with no wind speed in the record. To see which storms have passed near you, search a town or ZIP code, or tap the map.

Key
  • Tropical depression Winds below 34 knots (39 mph)
  • Tropical storm 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph)
  • Category 1 64 to 82 knots (74 to 95 mph)
  • Category 2 83 to 95 knots (96 to 110 mph)
  • Category 3 96 to 112 knots (111 to 129 mph), major
  • Category 4 113 to 136 knots (130 to 156 mph), major
  • Category 5 137 knots (157 mph) or more, major
  • Unknown intensity No wind speed in the record
  • Post-tropical Storm has become post-tropical (dashed line)

How to read the lines. Each line is the track of one storm, drawn through its six-hourly positions and coloured by its intensity at each point (the Saffir-Simpson scale), so a line changes colour as the storm strengthens or weakens. Tap a line for its details, or tap anywhere else to see which storms have passed nearby. Weaker storms appear as you zoom in. Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are the same kind of storm with different names in different oceans.

The 1972 season in numbers

The record holds 15 storms for the 1972 South-West Indian season, of which 15 had names.5 reached tropical storm strength (34 knots or more), 2 reached cyclone strength (category 1 or more) and 0 were major (category 3 or more). 10 have no wind speed in the record.

  • 15storms
  • 5tropical storm strength or more
  • 2cyclone strength or more
  • 0major (category 3 to 5)
  • 5accumulated cyclone energy

Accumulated cyclone energy adds up the squared wind speed of every position of 34 knots or more, divided by 10,000. It is approximate here because the winds are 1-minute equivalents, and it is mostly useful for comparing seasons of one basin.

Strongest storms of 1972

  • Vicky (1972)23 February 1972 to 4 March 1972, peak Category 2 (85 kt)
  • Sally (1972)3 December 1971 to 13 December 1971, peak Category 1 (65 kt)
  • Gigi:tessie (1972)20 February 1972 to 1 March 1972, peak Tropical storm (40 kt), 950 hPa
  • Angela (1972)29 February 1972 to 3 March 1972, peak Tropical storm (40 kt), 994 hPa
  • Belinda (1972)20 March 1972 to 29 March 1972, peak Tropical storm (35 kt), 980 hPa

All 15 storms of 1972

StormPeak
Odette Unknown intensity
Rhoda Unknown intensity
Sally Category 1
Agnes Unknown intensity
Belle Unknown intensity
Caroline Unknown intensity
Dolly Unknown intensity
Eugenie Unknown intensity
Fabienne Unknown intensity
Gigi:tessie Tropical storm
Vicky Category 2
Angela Tropical storm
Hermione Unknown intensity
Belinda Tropical storm
Carol Unknown intensity

← 1971 · 1973 → · All seasons

Other basins in 1972

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