Hurricane History Map

1981 South-West Indian season

22 storms formed in the South-West Indian basin in 1981, from 3 November 1980 to 30 May 1981.

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Years1981
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 1981 season in numbers

The record holds 22 storms for the 1981 South-West Indian season, of which 22 had names.17 reached tropical storm strength (34 knots or more), 9 reached cyclone strength (category 1 or more) and 8 were major (category 3 or more). 5 have no wind speed in the record.

  • 22storms
  • 17tropical storm strength or more
  • 9cyclone strength or more
  • 8major (category 3 to 5)
  • 151accumulated 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 1981

  • Carol (1981)13 December 1980 to 24 December 1980, peak Category 4 (125 kt), 940 hPa
  • Olga (1981)4 April 1981 to 18 April 1981, peak Category 4 (120 kt), 940 hPa
  • Adelaide:alice (1981)3 November 1980 to 14 November 1980, peak Category 4 (119 kt), 940 hPa
  • Felix (1981)22 December 1980 to 31 December 1980, peak Category 4 (114 kt), 940 hPa
  • Florine (1981)3 January 1981 to 11 January 1981, peak Category 3 (105 kt)

All 22 storms of 1981

StormPeak
Adelaide:alice Category 4
Bettina Unknown intensity
Bert:christe Unknown intensity
Carol Category 4
Dan Tropical storm
Diana Unknown intensity
Edna Tropical storm
Felix Category 4
Edwig Unknown intensity
Florine Category 3
Mabel Category 3
Gaelle Tropical storm
Gaelle Unknown intensity
Helyette Tropical storm
Iadine Tropical storm
Neil Category 3
Johanne Category 1
Max Category 3
Klara Tropical storm
Olga Category 4
Lisa Tropical storm
Paddy Tropical storm

← 1980 · 1982 → · All seasons

Other basins in 1981

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