wave height · India
Paradip, Odisha
Cyclone-season peak significant wave height
Modelled demonstration series · not observed data
Wave height here is a proxy for storm surge, and storm surge on this coastline is the single deadliest weather phenomenon in the region's history. Odisha's cyclone shelters and evacuation system have cut the death toll enormously since 1999 — a rare case where the human response curve bent faster than the hazard curve.
75 years, modelled
Same reading, two normals
| Normal | Mean | σ | Pct | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951–1980 | 5.60 m | +0.60σ | 73rd | 1 in 3.6 years |
| 1991–2020 | 5.86 m | +0.34σ | 63rd | 1 in 2.7 years |
Today would rank 25 of 76 for highest value in the modelled series. Nothing about the reading changes between rows — only the yardstick.
The season here
The Bay of Bengal is shallow and funnel-shaped, so a cyclone pushes water ahead of it onto a very flat, very populated coast.
Where this series comes from
MODELLED SERIES — not observed. Parameters set from published Bay of Bengal cyclone-season wave climatology. The 75 annual values are synthesised by the seeded generator. Population is a rounded coastal-district estimate.
Every number on this page comes from a modelled series: 75 annual values synthesised by a seeded generator from published climatological parameters for Paradip, Odisha. It shows how anomaly reasoning works. It is not a measurement and must not be cited as one.
How to read σ
σ counts standard deviations from this place's own normal. The sigma guide · return periods.
More wave height stations
Open Paradip on the field →