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Cyclone Arnab, which developed over the Bay of Bengal today, is intensifing and heading towards the Andhra Pradesh coast, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a red-level cyclone warning for Andhra Pradesh and adjoining south Odisha.
Satellite images show the cyclone’s tightly wound cloud bands and a separate central circulation over the Bay of Bengal. Landfall of the cyclone is expected on October 28. Know why it is trigerring curiosity towards the system used to name tropical cyclones in the North Indian Ocean.
The name was proposed by Bangladesh and is included in the official list adopted by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) Panel on Tropical Cyclones in April 2020.
Who Named Cyclone Arnab?
Bangladesh proposed the name Arnab as part of the regional cyclone-naming system. The present list includes 169 names submitted by 13 countries: Bangladesh, India, Iran, the Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
Each participating country contributed 13 names. These names are assigned sequentially as qualifying tropical cyclones formed over the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.
The country proposing a cyclone's name does not tell where the storm will travel or make landfall. Therefore, a cyclone named by Bangladesh can impact India's coastline or another country in the region.
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What Does Arnab Mean?
Arnab is generally linked with the Bengali word for the sea or ocean. The official cyclone-naming list states the name and its pronunciation, but does not offer an official definition.
The name is part of a coordinated global system produced to make weather warnings easier to communicate and comprehend.
How Are Cyclones Named in India?
The India Meteorological Department (IMD), through its Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre in New Delhi, is behind naming tropical cyclones that develop over the North Indian Ocean.
When a weather system crosses the required intensity, the IMD gives the next available name from the approved regional list. The process allows a predetermined sequence rather than permitting authorities to choose a name based on the storm's expected destination.
The present list was adopted in April 2020, thus extending the previous system to include 13 participating countries. Cyclone naming in the North Indian Ocean began in 2004.
Why Are Cyclones Given Names?
Cyclone names help meteorologists, emergency services, governments, journalists and the public identify separate storms. They also lower confusion when numerous and diverse weather systems develop simultaneously.
Short, distinctive names make warnings convenient to remember and share, promoting timely communication about evacuation orders, dangerous situations, heavy rainfall and flooding.
What Is the Significance of Cyclone Arnab?
The name itself does not hint at a cyclone's strength, direction or potential impact. These parametersdepend on atmospheric and oceanic conditions and are explained through weather predictions.