The scope of this article is limited to the Indian Ocean in the Northern Hemisphere, east of the Horn of Africa and west of the Malay Peninsula.

In late September, Deep Depression ARB 02 formed near Gujarat and intensified into the fourth cyclonic storm of the season, Hikaa.

System development proceeded very slowly for several days, with the cyclone struggling to intensify against the influence of moderate vertical wind shear.

[7] At 12:00 UTC on 29 April, Fani was upgraded to a severe cyclonic storm, with the system beginning to undergo rapid intensification.

[10] The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) upgraded the system to a Category 4 tropical cyclone on the Saffir–Simpson scale at 06:00 UTC on May 2, following which, rapid intensification resumed.

In early June, a strong pulse of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) tracked eastwards into the tropical Indian Ocean, leading to increased cloudiness and rainfall across the region.

[18] On June 9, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) noted the development of a low-pressure area over the southeastern Arabian Sea, to the north of the Maldives.

Early on June 10, a depression formed in the Arabian Sea, just northwest of the Maldives, and the IMD gave the storm the identifier ARB 01.

As the system moved northward, it gradually strengthened, becoming a deep depression, before intensifying further into Cyclonic Storm Vayu later that day.

On June 13, the influence of a strengthening subtropical ridge over Saudi Arabia caused Vayu to gradually slow down and turn to the west, as it approached the coastline of the state of Gujarat in northwestern India.

[19][20] Later that day, at 06:00 UTC, Vayu reached its peak intensity as a very severe tropical cyclone, with three-minute sustained winds of 150 kilometres per hour (93 mph) and a minimum pressure of 970 hPa (28.64 inHg).

[21] On June 14, Vayu began to weaken, as it tracked slowly westward, away from the Gujarat coastline due to strong wind shear.

[24] Upon weakening further to a cyclonic storm, strong low-level southwesterly flow caused the system to accelerate northeastwards through the break in the blocking high-pressure ridge, back towards the Gujarat coast.

Hikaa weakened due to dry air intrusions and made landfall on Oman as a severe tropical cyclone.

It moved east-northeastwards, towards eastern Rajasthan maintained its intensity and it developed a ragged eye until on October 1, it weakened into a low pressure area.

On October 25, owing to high sea surface temperatures, low shear and a moist environment, Kyarr began a period of rapid intensification and strengthened into a very severe cyclonic storm.

The system continued to intensify, attaining maximum three-minute sustained winds of 240 kilometres per hour (150 mph) and a minimum barometric pressure of 922 hPa (27.23 inHg), Kyarr began slowly weakening on October 29 as it headed southwest towards the direction of Somalia.

Maha continued to intensify, fluctuating in intensity for the next 2 days as it moved along the Indian coast, before becoming a very severe cyclonic storm on November 3.

Maha would reach its peak intensity, strengthening into an extremely severe cyclonic storm the next day, before beginning to stall in the Arabian Sea due to a lack of steering currents.

Due to being in a favorable environment for development, the depression strengthened into a cyclonic storm on December 4, earning the name Pawan.

Pawan would make landfall in the Puntland region of Somalia, just south of Eyl, as a cyclonic storm late on December 6.

Pawan would bring heavy rain and mudslides to parts of Somalia, before degenerating into a well-marked low-pressure area on December 7.

[44] Rainfall accumulations brought by Pawan were up to 3 inches in Somalia, an unusually large amount of rain for December, resulting in flash flooding in the region.

Two vehicles were swept away by torrential rain generated by the storm in Bosaso, while two boats capsized off the coast of Eyl due to rough surf.

[50] On December 7, a low pressure area formed over the Equatorial Indian Ocean and the adjoining east-central Arabian Sea.

With warm sea surface temperature and high tropical cyclone heat potential, it further developed into a well-marked low pressure system on December 8.

Under moderate wind shear, and high sea-surface temperature, it concentrated into a depression with IMD designated as ARB 08 at 09:00 UTC on same day.

On December 9, at 00:00 UTC, it further intensified into a deep depression over southwest Arabian Sea, with further organisation of clouds and intense convection around the center.

Pabuk entered the basin from the Gulf of Thailand as a cyclonic storm; its name was assigned by the Japan Meteorological Agency.