A scene at Kovalam Beach in Chennai on November 29, 2024.
| Photo Credit: R. Ravindran
The deep depression over southwest Bay of Bengal intensified into a cyclonic storm on Friday afternoon (November 29, 2024), and has been named Fengal.
Also read: Cyclone Fengal LIVE
According to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), an agency under the United Nations, there can be more than one cyclone at a time in a particular geographical location or around the globe and the systems can last for a week or more. Therefore, each tropical storm is given a name to avoid confusion, facilitating disaster risk awareness, management, and mitigation.
There are six Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres (RSMCs) worldwide and five regional Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres, which are mandated for issuing advisories and naming of cyclonic storms.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is one of the RSMCs and is tasked with giving a title to a cyclone that forms over the northern Indian Ocean when they have reached a maximum sustained surface wind speed of 62 kmph or more.
Names are used in rotation and are not reused once assigned to a cyclone. For example, following Fengal, the next cyclone will be named Shakhti, as suggested by Sri Lanka, while Thailand has contributed Montha as a future name in the queue.
Here is a list of some of the cyclones and how they were named:
Cyclone Fengal
The name ‘Fengal’ was proposed by Saudi Arabia and is a word rooted in Arabic. It represents a blend of linguistic tradition and cultural identity, reflecting the regional diversity within the WMO/UNESCAP naming panel. Names like Fengal are chosen to be short, distinctive, and non-offensive in multiple languages, ensuring they resonate universally across affected areas.
Cyclone Dana
Cyclone Dana made landfall along Odisha coast in October 2024. Dana’s name was suggested by Qatar, which means generosity.
Cyclone Remal
The severe cyclonic storm Remal made landfall between Sagar Island in West Bengal and Khepupara in Bangladesh in May 2024. The name Remal, meaning ‘sand’ in Arabic, was chosen by Oman.
Cyclone Mandous
Cyclone Mandous that crossed the north Tamil Nadu coast near Mamallapuram in December 2022, claimed lives, uprooted about 500 trees and caused power disruptions in various places. The name Mandous was suggested by the United Arab Emirates.
Cyclone Sitrang
Cyclone Sitrang made landfall in Bangladesh on October 24, 2022. Tropical storm Sitrang (pronounced Si-Trang), a name given by Thailand, brewed in the Bay of Bengal before turning north toward Bangladesh’s vast coast. The cyclone brought heavy rainfall in parts of Northeast India.
Cyclone Asani
The year 2022 received its first cyclone, Asani, formed in the North Indian Ocean region. The cyclone named by Sri Lanka meaning “wrath” in Sinhala, made landfall on May 11, 40km south-east of Machilipatnam and 50km south-west of Narsapur in Andhra Pradesh.
Cyclone Ockhi
Cyclone Ockhi was a strong tropical cyclone that devastated parts of Sri Lanka and India in 2017. It wreaked havoc in Kerala, Goa, Lakshadweep and Tamil Nadu. The name Ockhi was given by Bangladesh which in Bengali means ‘eye’.
Cyclone Mora
Cyclone Mora that caused severe flooding across Northeast India in May 2017 was named by Thailand. Mora is the name of one of the healing stones and also means star of the sea.
Names from India that have been used include Gati (speed), Megh (cloud), Akash (sky). Other designations that have been used earlier included Ogni, Helen and Fani from Bangladesh; and Laila, Nargis and Bulbul from Pakistan.
Published – November 29, 2024 09:16 pm IST
