Cyclone Filao (1988)
Cyclone Filao reached Category 2 in the South Indian between February 23, 1988 and March 2, 1988, with a lowest pressure of 954 mb, and made landfall.
Track and intensity
The whole track of Cyclone Filao, colored by strength, with the other storms of the 1988 season in the same basin behind it, and its wind and pressure hour by hour. Every fix is in the track table below.
The storm
- Basin
- South Indian
- Dates
- February 23, 1988 to March 2, 1988
- Peak strength
- Category 2, 85 kt (98 mph)
- Lowest pressure
- 954 mb (28.17 inHg)
- Landfall
- Yes
- Accumulated cyclone energy
- 7.3
- Fastest the center moved
- 11 kt (13 mph)
- Identifier
- SH141988
Deaths and damage
No source this site reads publishes a machine-readable casualty or damage figure for a storm of this era. The National Hurricane Center’s season tables begin in 1995 and carry deaths and damage only from 2005 in the Atlantic and 2020 in both basins; the US Storm Events record begins in 1996.
Track
| Time (UTC) | Position | Wind | Pressure | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 23, 12:00 | 10.3S 51.0E | 20 kt | 1003 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 23, 18:00 | 11.0S 50.8E | 20 kt | 1003 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 24, 00:00 | 11.3S 50.5E | 24 kt | 1000 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 24, 06:00 | 10.9S 49.9E | 25 kt | 997 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 24, 12:00 | 11.5S 49.5E | 30 kt | 997 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 24, 18:00 | 12.1S 48.8E | 30 kt | 1000 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 25, 00:00 | 13.0S 47.9E | 25 kt | 1000 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 25, 06:00 | 13.9S 47.2E | 25 kt | 1000 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 25, 12:00 | 14.5S 46.6E | 25 kt | 1000 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 25, 18:00 | 15.0S 46.0E | 25 kt | 1000 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 26, 00:00 | 15.5S 45.3E | 25 kt | 1000 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 26, 06:00 | 15.9S 44.5E | 25 kt | 1000 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 26, 12:00 | 16.2S 43.9E | 30 kt | 1000 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 26, 18:00 | 16.5S 43.3E | 30 kt | 997 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 27, 00:00 | 16.7S 42.7E | 30 kt | 991 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 27, 06:00 | 17.0S 42.2E | 30 kt | 991 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 27, 12:00 | 17.4S 41.7E | 35 kt | 991 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 27, 18:00 | 17.9S 41.1E | 40 kt | 991 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 28, 00:00 | 18.4S 40.5E | 45 kt | 991 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 28, 06:00 | 18.8S 40.0E | 55 kt | 991 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 28, 12:00 | 19.0S 39.9E | 60 kt | 991 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 28, 18:00 | 19.1S 40.0E | 65 kt | 984 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 29, 00:00 | 19.2S 39.9E | 70 kt | 976 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 29, 06:00 | 19.3S 39.8E | 75 kt | 966 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 29, 12:00 | 19.3S 39.6E | 80 kt | 954 mb | Tropical storm |
| Feb 29, 18:00 | 19.2S 39.5E | 80 kt | 966 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 1, 00:00 | 19.0S 39.1E | 80 kt | 966 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 1, 06:00 | 18.9S 38.5E | 85 kt | 954 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 1, 12:00 | 18.8S 37.9E | 85 kt | 954 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 1, 18:00 | 18.6S 37.1E | 85 kt | 954 mb | Tropical storm |
| Mar 2, 00:00 | 18.2S 36.5E | 65 kt | Mixed | |
| Mar 2, 06:00 | 17.7S 36.0E | 40 kt | Tropical storm |
Other South Indian storms of 1988
- Unnamed tropical stormSouth Indian · 1988
- Unnamed tropical stormSouth Indian · 1988
- Tropical Storm ArinySouth Indian · 1988
- Tropical Storm BenandroSouth Indian · 1988
- Cyclone CalideraSouth Indian · 1988
- Tropical Storm CalideraSouth Indian · 1988
- Cyclone DoazaSouth Indian · 1988
- Cyclone FredericSouth Indian · 1988
- Cyclone Ezenina:GwendaSouth Indian · 1988
- Cyclone GasitaoSouth Indian · 1988
- Tropical Storm HelySouth Indian · 1988
- Unnamed tropical depressionSouth Indian · 1988
- Unnamed tropical depressionSouth Indian · 1988
- Tropical Storm IarisenaSouth Indian · 1988
- Tropical Storm HerbieSouth Indian · 1988
What this means
A best track is the record a warning agency settles on after the storm, not what it said at the time: position, maximum sustained wind and central pressure every six hours, revised against every observation that came in later. Category is the Saffir-Simpson scale, which runs from Category 1 at 64 kt to Category 5 at 137 kt and reads wind only, so it says nothing about surge or rain. Accumulated cyclone energy adds up the square of the wind through the storm's life, so it counts strength and duration together.
Sources
Storm history from NOAA NCEI’s International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS), which merges the official best track of every warning agency. Live storms, cones, watches and warnings from the National Hurricane Center and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Archived radar from NOAA’s Level II archive.