NEW DELHI: There were five cyclones over the Arabian Sea in 2019 against the average of one per year, the Ministry of Earth Sciences said on Tuesday.
Also, 2019 witnessed the development of more intense cyclones over the Arabian Sea, the ministry said in response to a question in Rajya Sabha.
"Based on the statistics during 1891-2017, on an average five cyclones develop over North Indian Ocean in a year with four developing over Bay of Bengal and one over Arabian Sea," the ministry stated.
In the recent past, an increase in frequency has been observed in formation of cyclones in the North Indian Ocean, it noted.
"The occurrence of five cyclones over Arabian Sea in 2019 against the normal of one per year equals the previous record of 1902 for the highest annual cyclone frequency over Arabian Sea," it added.
There were one, three and five cyclones over the Arabian Sea in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively, the ministry said.
There were two, four and three cyclones over the Bay of Bengal in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively, it said.