Cyclone Firinga (1989)
Cyclone Firinga reached Category 2 in the South Indian between January 24, 1989 and February 7, 1989, with a lowest pressure of 954 mb, and made landfall.
Track and intensity
The whole track of Cyclone Firinga, colored by strength, with the other storms of the 1989 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
- January 24, 1989 to February 7, 1989
- Peak strength
- Category 2, 90 kt (104 mph)
- Lowest pressure
- 954 mb (28.17 inHg)
- Landfall
- Yes
- Accumulated cyclone energy
- 10.0
- Fastest the center moved
- 18 kt (21 mph)
- Identifier
- SH081989
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 06:00 | 11.0S 64.0E | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Jan 24, 12:00 | 11.1S 64.4E | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Jan 24, 18:00 | 11.2S 64.8E | 25 kt | Tropical storm | |
| Jan 25, 00:00 | 11.4S 65.0E | 25 kt | 997 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 25, 06:00 | 11.6S 65.3E | 30 kt | 997 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 25, 12:00 | 12.0S 65.6E | 30 kt | 997 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 25, 18:00 | 12.4S 65.9E | 35 kt | 997 mb | Tropical storm |
| Jan 26, 00:00 | 12.8S 66.2E | 35 kt | 991 mb | XX |
| Jan 26, 06:00 | 13.4S 66.1E | 35 kt | 991 mb | XX |
| Jan 26, 12:00 | 14.2S 65.8E | 40 kt | 991 mb | XX |
| Jan 26, 18:00 | 14.7S 65.3E | 45 kt | 991 mb | XX |
| Jan 27, 00:00 | 15.3S 64.8E | 45 kt | 984 mb | XX |
| Jan 27, 06:00 | 15.9S 64.1E | 50 kt | 976 mb | XX |
| Jan 27, 12:00 | 16.5S 63.2E | 55 kt | 976 mb | XX |
| Jan 27, 18:00 | 17.1S 62.2E | 60 kt | 976 mb | XX |
| Jan 28, 00:00 | 17.8S 61.2E | 65 kt | 976 mb | XX |
| Jan 28, 06:00 | 18.3S 60.0E | 70 kt | 976 mb | XX |
| Jan 28, 12:00 | 19.0S 58.9E | 80 kt | 966 mb | XX |
| Jan 28, 18:00 | 19.6S 57.6E | 90 kt | 966 mb | XX |
| Jan 29, 00:00 | 20.1S 56.7E | 90 kt | 954 mb | XX |
| Jan 29, 06:00 | 20.7S 55.8E | 90 kt | 954 mb | XX |
| Jan 29, 12:00 | 21.2S 55.1E | 90 kt | 966 mb | XX |
| Jan 29, 18:00 | 21.8S 54.3E | 85 kt | 966 mb | XX |
| Jan 30, 00:00 | 22.3S 53.8E | 75 kt | 966 mb | XX |
| Jan 30, 06:00 | 23.0S 53.0E | 65 kt | 966 mb | XX |
| Jan 30, 12:00 | 23.7S 52.3E | 55 kt | 976 mb | XX |
| Jan 30, 18:00 | 24.4S 51.7E | 45 kt | 976 mb | XX |
| Jan 31, 00:00 | 25.2S 51.0E | 45 kt | 976 mb | XX |
| Jan 31, 06:00 | 26.1S 50.6E | 45 kt | 976 mb | XX |
| Jan 31, 12:00 | 27.2S 50.4E | 40 kt | 984 mb | XX |
| Jan 31, 18:00 | 28.3S 50.3E | 35 kt | 984 mb | XX |
| Feb 1, 00:00 | 29.4S 50.5E | 35 kt | 991 mb | XX |
| Feb 1, 06:00 | 30.5S 51.0E | 30 kt | 991 mb | XX |
| Feb 1, 12:00 | 30.5S 53.7E | 36 kt | 991 mb | Mixed |
| Feb 1, 18:00 | 30.4S 55.2E | 28 kt | 997 mb | Mixed |
| Feb 2, 00:00 | 30.1S 56.8E | 24 kt | 1000 mb | Mixed |
| Feb 2, 06:00 | 30.0S 58.1E | 24 kt | 1000 mb | Mixed |
| Feb 2, 12:00 | 30.1S 59.1E | 36 kt | Mixed | |
| Feb 2, 18:00 | 30.2S 60.0E | 36 kt | Not reported | |
| Feb 3, 00:00 | 30.2S 61.2E | 36 kt | Extratropical | |
| Feb 3, 06:00 | 30.0S 62.4E | 36 kt | Extratropical | |
| Feb 3, 12:00 | 29.5S 62.1E | 36 kt | Extratropical | |
| Feb 3, 18:00 | 29.2S 61.5E | 36 kt | Extratropical | |
| Feb 4, 00:00 | 29.0S 61.0E | 36 kt | Extratropical | |
| Feb 4, 06:00 | 29.0S 60.0E | 36 kt | Extratropical | |
| Feb 4, 12:00 | 28.9S 59.8E | 36 kt | Extratropical | |
| Feb 4, 18:00 | 28.9S 59.3E | 36 kt | Extratropical | |
| Feb 5, 00:00 | 29.0S 59.1E | 36 kt | Extratropical | |
| Feb 5, 06:00 | 29.0S 58.9E | Extratropical | ||
| Feb 5, 12:00 | 29.5S 58.2E | 36 kt | Extratropical | |
| Feb 5, 18:00 | 30.4S 57.9E | 36 kt | Extratropical | |
| Feb 6, 00:00 | 31.8S 57.4E | 36 kt | Extratropical | |
| Feb 6, 06:00 | 33.0S 57.0E | 36 kt | Extratropical | |
| Feb 6, 12:00 | 33.9S 56.4E | 36 kt | Extratropical | |
| Feb 6, 18:00 | 34.7S 55.6E | 36 kt | Extratropical | |
| Feb 7, 00:00 | 35.3S 54.7E | 36 kt | Extratropical | |
| Feb 7, 06:00 | 36.0S 53.5E | 36 kt | Extratropical |
Other South Indian storms of 1989
- Cyclone AdelininaSouth Indian · 1989
- Cyclone BarisaonaSouth Indian · 1989
- Cyclone IlonaSouth Indian · 1989
- Cyclone CalasanjySouth Indian · 1989
- Tropical Depression DonaSouth Indian · 1989
- Cyclone EdmeSouth Indian · 1989
- Tropical Storm JohnSouth Indian · 1989
- Cyclone KirrilySouth Indian · 1989
- Cyclone Hanitra:LeonSouth Indian · 1989
- Cyclone GizelaSouth Indian · 1989
- Unnamed tropical stormSouth Indian · 1989
- Tropical Storm IanaSouth Indian · 1989
- Tropical Storm MarciaSouth Indian · 1989
- Unnamed tropical stormSouth Indian · 1989
- Cyclone JinaboSouth Indian · 1989
- Cyclone NedSouth Indian · 1989
- Tropical Depression KrisySouth Indian · 1989
- Cyclone KrisySouth Indian · 1989
- Tropical Storm LezissySouth Indian · 1989
- Cyclone OrsonSouth Indian · 1989
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.