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- Published: May 9, 2022 16:10
New Delhi: In the next 12 hours, Cyclone Asani, which emerged in the Bay of Bengal, is expected to intensify into a strong cyclonic storm. Sri Lanka gave the name ‘Asani’ to the creature. The first cyclonic storm of the season will be Asani, which means “wrath” in Sinhalese.
But why do we call storms by their names? What’s in a name, anyway? How did the process of naming begin? Here’s everything you need to know about cyclone naming.
WHY ARE CYCLONES Named?
To avoid misunderstanding, each tropical storm is given a name to aid catastrophe risk awareness, management, and mitigation. Short and simple names are usually beneficial in properly communicating precise storm information amongst hundreds of scattered stations, coastal bases, and ships at sea.
HOW DO CYCLONES GET THEIR NAMES?
When a cyclone originates over the northern Indian Ocean and reaches a maximum sustained surface wind speed of 62 kmph or more, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) is one of six Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres (RSMCs) entrusted with naming it. If the wind speed of the storm hits or exceeds this threshold, it is categorised as a hurricane, cyclone, or typhoon.
The alphabetically-arranged countries’ names are used to organise the list, which is gender, political, religious, and culturally neutral. A name will not be used again once it has been used.
The most recent version, announced in 2020, includes 169 names from 13 different nations. Gati (speed), Megh (cloud), and Akash are Indian names (sky). Ogni, Helen, and Fani, all from Bangladesh, were previously used as a designation.
Cyclones vary in ferocity, regardless of their name. In September 2021, for example, Cyclone Gulab made landfall in north coastal Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring south coastal Odisha, dumping heavy rainfall and high winds before fading into a deep depression.
However, Cyclone Amphan, which made landfall in May 2020, killed up to 80 people and wreaked havoc in Odisha and West Bengal.