2008 North Indian Ocean cyclone season Intertropical Convergence Zone became very active over the Bay of Bengal and later spawned a low-pressure area on April 26. Accompanied by low wind shear, favorable outflow, and over an area of high sea surface temperatures, the system consolidated into a depression the following day. Tracking slowly westward, the depression intensified, becoming Cyclonic Storm Nargis on April 28. That day, steering currents weakened, causing the system to become nearly stationary before a trough influenced more northeasterly, and later easterly, movement. On April 29, the system attained hurricane-force winds. Hours before striking southern Myanmar on May 2, Nargis attained its peak
Cyclone Nargis of low vertical wind shear, before it was classified as a depression by the India Meteorological Department early on 27 April. Initially, the depression moved westward and was classified as a deep depression by the IMD, before the United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) initiated advisories and classified the storm as Tropical Cyclone 01B later that day. The system subsequently started to move north-westwards under the steering influence of an anticyclone and an upper level ridge of high pressure. At 0000 UTC, 5:30 AM Indian Standard Time, on 28 April, the IMD upgraded the system to Cyclonic Storm Nargis,