4THE 1839 CORINGA CYCLONE

The Coringa cyclone made landfall at the port city of Coringa on India’s Bay of Bengal on Nov. 25, 1839, whipping up a storm surge of 40 feet (12 m), according to NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory Hurricane Research Division(opens in new tab).

The hurricane’s wind speeds and category are not known, as is the case for many storms that took place before the 20th century. About 20,000 ships and vessels were destroyed, along with the lives of an estimated 300,000 people.