# Deadliest Tropical Cyclone on Record Hit Bangladesh 56 Years Ago Today

Published November 13, 2026, 8:16 AM ET · Updated November 13, 2026, 8:31 AM ET  
By Ryan Hall, Y'all  
Written by our automated news desk from National Weather Service data.

The deadliest tropical cyclone on record struck the Bay of Bengal coast of what was then East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, on Nov. 12-13, 1970. The WMO lists an estimated 300,000 deaths and puts the range at 300,000 to 500,000, mostly from storm surge. No named storms are active today.

**What's new:** Added our newsroom map of the Bangladesh coast.

## Key points

- The number is an estimate. The WMO's weather extremes archive lists about 300,000 deaths. The WMO's own 50th-anniversary article puts the range at 300,000 to 500,000.
- Water, not wind, did most of the killing. The WMO says most deaths came from the storm surge, the wall of ocean water pushed onto land.
- The lesson is to take storm surge seriously. The WMO says most of the deaths came from the storm surge.

![Newsroom graphic (graphic by the Ryan Hall, Y'all newsroom)](https://public.yallsoft.app/rhy/blog/images/2026-11-13-news-newsroom-4244116-1-1326.png)

A cyclone came ashore on the Bay of Bengal coast of what was then East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, on Nov. 12-13, 1970. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) lists it as the deadliest tropical cyclone on record, with an estimated 300,000 deaths. Most of those deaths came from a large storm surge.

## What to know

![Newsroom graphic (graphic by the Ryan Hall, Y'all newsroom)](https://public.yallsoft.app/rhy/blog/images/2026-11-13-news-newsroom-63076698-0-1326.png "Newsroom graphic. Issued 8:26 AM ET Friday. Ryan Hall, Y'all")

- **The number is an estimate.** The WMO's weather extremes archive lists about 300,000 deaths. The WMO's own 50th-anniversary article puts the range at 300,000 to 500,000.
- **Water, not wind, did most of the killing.** The WMO says most deaths came from the storm surge, the wall of ocean water pushed onto land.
- **The lesson is to take storm surge seriously.** The WMO says most of the deaths came from the storm surge.

No named storms are active today, and you can check anytime on our [tropics page](/tropical), see every live alert on the [warnings page](/warnings), and sign up for free [Y'all Alerts](/alerts).

More on: [2026 hurricane season](https://ryanhallyall.com/news/topic/hurricane-season-2026)

## Sources

- [Climate, and Society), NOAA IR copy](https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/52787)

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