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The 2012 North Indian Ocean cyclone season is an ongoing event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation. 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. There are two main seas in the North Indian Ocean — the Arabian Sea to the west of the Indian subcontinent, abbreviated ARB by the India Meteorological Department (IMD); and the Bay of Bengal to the east, abbreviated BOB by the IMD. The official Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre in this basin is the India Meteorological Department (IMD), while the Joint Typhoon Warning Center releases unofficial advisories. This timeline includes information that was operationally released, meaning that data from post-storm reviews by the IMD, such as a storm that was not operationally warned upon, has not been included. This timeline documents tropical cyclone formations, strengthening, weakening, landfalls, and dissipations during the season.
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This season, 3 depressions developed out of the low pressure areas and the remnants of former tropical cyclones. 2 of those depressions strengthened into deep depressions, and both of those storms intensified further into Cyclonic Storms. The first depression of the season developed out of the remnants of Severe Tropical Storm Gaemi on October 10, 2012, very late into the 2012 cyclone season, about 350 km (215 mi) southeast of Kolkata, West Bengal. The depression brought high winds and heavy rains to much of Bangladesh, causing extensive damage. The storm killed a total of 30 people. On October 23, the second depression of the season formed. It developed out of a persistent low in the Arabian Sea. A day later, the depression became the first cyclonic storm of the season, and was named Murjan. It became the first storm to impact the Horn of Africa since Bandu in 2010. Overall, Murjan lasted two and a half days before dissipating over Nugaal region in northeastern Somalia. Only two days later, the third depression of the season formed in southern Bay of Bengal. It eventually strengthened into Cyclonic Storm Nilam, and it made landfall over Southern India early on October 31. Moving further inland, the storm affected two states and caused widespread flooding. Thereafter, Nilam weakened gradually and dissipated on November 2.