The alleged Bombay Cyclone of 1882 exposed as a hoax

Background. The so-called Bombay Cyclone of 1882, also known as the Great Bombay Cyclone, is classified as a hoax or fictitious historical event. Despite its designation as a hoax, various accounts describe it as a major Indian cyclone forming over the Arabian Sea. These narratives claim the storm struck Bombay on June 6, 1882, causing massive destruction and loss of life, though these claims are contradicted by historical evidence.

Alleged Disaster. Encyclopedia entries and academic articles describe the Great Bombay Cyclone as having 110-MPH winds and an 18-foot surge, reportedly claiming more than 100,000 lives when it came ashore at Bombay before daybreak. Some accounts state the city was all but destroyed by a monster cyclone that slammed into the Maharashtra region on June 6, 1882, listing it among the deadliest tropical cyclones in world history.

Historical Verification. Historical records contradict the alleged disaster. There appears to have been a storm with heavy rain and strong winds on June 4, 1882, but it does not match descriptions of the supposed cyclone of June 6. The actual biggest cyclone event in Bombay during the nineteenth century was the cyclone of 1854, which destroyed property valued at half-a-million pounds sterling and killed a thousand people.