<P> The 1999 Odisha cyclone ( IMD designation BOB 03 , JTWC designation 05B ) was the strongest recorded tropical cyclone in the North Indian Ocean and among the most destructive in the region . The 1999 Odisha cyclone organized into a tropical depression in the Andaman Sea on 25 October , though its origins could be traced back to an area of storms in the Sulu Sea four days prior . The disturbance gradually strengthened as it took a west - northwesterly path , reaching cyclonic storm strength the next day . Taking advantage of highly favorable conditions , the storm rapidly intensified , attaining super cyclonic storm intensity on 28 October before peaking with winds of 260 km / h ( 160 mph ) and a record - low pressure of 912 mbar ( hPa ; 26.93 inHg ) . The storm maintained this intensity as it made landfall on Odisha on 29 October . The cyclone steadily weakened due to persistent land interaction and dry air , remaining quasi-stationary for two days before slowly drifting offshore as a much weaker system ; the storm dissipated on 1 November over the Bay of Bengal . </P>
the super cyclone which slammed orissa in 1999 was with an approximate wind speed of
260 km / h ( 160 mph )