page_title: Cyclone Akash
section_title: Meteorological history
hierarchical_section_title: Cyclone Akash / Meteorological history
caption_attribution_description: Satellite image of Tropical Storm 01B on May 13 at 2130 UTC.
context_page_description: Cyclone Akash was the first named tropical cyclone of the 2007 North Indian Ocean cyclone season. Warned by both India Meteorological Department and Joint Typhoon Warning Center, it formed from an area of disturbed weather on the Bay of Bengal on May 12, and gradually organized as it drifted northward. An eye began to develop as it approached land, and after reaching peak 3-min sustained winds of 85 km/h it struck about 115 km south of Chittagong in Bangladesh. Akash rapidly weakened over land, and advisories were discontinued on May 15.
  The storm initially brought heavy rainfall to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Upon striking Bangladesh, Cyclonic Storm Akash produced a moderate storm tide, along with strong winds and heavy rains. The storm left dozens of boats missing, with three fisherman confirmed killed and another 50 missing. Near the coast, thousands of houses were damaged from the flooding caused by the storm. In Burma, its storm tide caused some coastal flooding. In all, 14 people were killed and damages amounted to US$982 million.
context_section_description: During the second week of May, low pressures persisted across the Bay of Bengal. An area of convection developed on May 11, and the next day the India Meteorological Department (IMD) classified it as a depression. The system drifted northward, and initially moderate wind shear kept the deep convection on the periphery of the consolidating low-level circulation center. Gradually, banding features developed along the eastern semicircle, and with decreasing amounts of wind shear the system organized further. By May 13, the pressure had dropped to 1000 mbar as wind shear levels dropped significantly. An anticyclone developed over the system, while a mid-latitude trough over northeastern India provided favorable outflow. Convection continued to consolidate around the low-level circulation, and with well-defined banding features and a central dense overcast over the center of circulation, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) upgraded it to Tropical Cyclone 01B at 1121 UTC on May 13 while located about 545 km (340 mi) west-northwest of Yangon, Burma.
  Upon first being upgraded, the storm tracked steadily northward due to a break in a mid-level ridge. Early on May 14, IMD upgraded the system to deep depression status, and six hours later classified it as Cyclonic Storm Akash after attaining 3-min sustained winds of 40 mph (65 km/h). Akash continued to organize, with deep convection wrapping fully around the low-level circulation. An eye began to form as the storm approached land, and at 1800 UTC on May 14 JTWC estimated 1-min sustained winds of 120 km/h (75 mph). Officially, Akash attained peak 3-min sustained winds of 85 km/h (50 mph) and a minimum central pressure of 988 hPa. Additionally, meteorologists in Burma estimated Akash peaked with winds of 160 km/h (100 mph). As it interacted with the mid-latitude westerlies, it began to become extratropical. Shortly after reaching peak winds, Akash made landfall about 115 km (70 mi) south of Chittagong. The storm weakened rapidly as it continued inland, and early on May 15 IMD issued its final advisory on the system; shortly thereafter, JTWC discontinued advisories. The name was contributed by India, Akash  means Sky in Hindi language.
caption: Image of Tropical Cyclone 01B (Akash) right after formation.
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