Draft:1998 Bengal cyclone

The 1998 Bengal cyclone was an intense tropical cyclone which impacted India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh during May 1998. The first depression, cyclonic storm, and severe cyclonic storm of the 1998 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, BOB 01 developed from a low-pressure area off the coast of Sri Lanka. After peaking as a severe tropical storm on May 20, it made landfall near Chittagong later that day. It rapidly weakened while inland, dissipating on May 21.

Meteorological history
On 17 May, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) began tracking a weak tropical disturbance embedded in the near-equatorial trough which was near Sri Lanka. As the disturbance coalesced, they issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCWC) for the system later that day. Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) was tracking the system, stating that it had become a depression around that time and naming it BOB 01 since it was in the Bay of Bengal. By 6:00 UTC the next day, the IMD upgraded the system into a deep depression while the JTWC issued their first warning on it as Tropical Cyclone 01B.

Steadily intensifying, BOB 01 became a cyclonic storm later that day. The JTWC would state that it peaked with 1-minute sustained winds of 80 mph around 0:00 UTC on May 20, while the IMD claimed that it peaked with 3-minute sustained winds of 70 mph a few hours earlier. Later that day, the system made landfall near Chittagong, Bangladesh near peak intensity. Tracking inland while weakening, the IMD issued its last advisory on the system on 12:00 UTC that day, with the JTWC following suit a few hours later.

Effects
Ahead of the storm, officials in Bangladesh relocated around 650,000 people, resulting in a lower loss of life. Despite that, the system adversely affected low-lying areas, destroying 6,000 homes and damaging another 9,945. It produced a storm surge of 1.8 to 3 m, inundating coastal towns. At least 35 people were killed by the storm while 504 others were injured. Five of the fatalities occurred in Chittagong, another five occurred on an island in the Cox's Bazar District, and sixteen more occurred when three fishing vessels sank near Chittagong. Additionally, an estimated 4,000 fishermen were listed as missing at sea. A total of 108,440 people were affected in Bangladesh. An oil tanker anchored near Chittagong was tossed by rough seas into another vessel and sustained significant damage. Large quantities of crude oil spilled into the water due to a hole in the hull of the ship. Both of the ships involved in the incident were owned by the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation. More than 10,000 tin-roofed homes were damaged by the cyclone's gusts which may have been as much as 100 mph and over 100 fishermen went missing. In the aftermath of the storm, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization provided $40,000 in immediate funds for rehabilitation efforts. The Government of Germany also provided $270,166 to the affected population. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies donated about $1.2 million to Bangladesh.