Cyclonic storm Hikka, that has been formed in the Arabian Sea, will reach Oman coast by the early morning of September 25. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), in its weather bulletin on Monday said that a deep depression over Arabian sea intensified into a Cyclonic Storm named Hikka. The westward path of the storm will take it towards Oman, with only light rains in Gujarat. However, several southern states in India including Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and internal parts of Karnataka are set to receive heavy showers.

Till date, a total of 64 cyclones have been named by the 8 nations- India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman and Thailand.The name 'Hikka' or 'Makunu Hikka' has been given by Maldives. The other names by Maldives apart from Hikka include Hibaru, Gonu, Alia, Keela, Maadi and Ronu. What Next Cyclone Will Be Called, Know All About How Cyclonic Storms Are Named.

According to the naming system, Hikka is the name given to a cyclone that will follow Cyclone Vayu. After Hikka, five more storms are still on the list. They are- Kayar by Myanmar, Maha by Oman, Bulbul by Pakistan, Pawan/ Paban by Sri Lanka and Amphan by Thailand. Once all these names of the storms are used, a new set of names will be rolled out.

How are Cyclones Named

Out of the 64 names, the names given by India are Agni, Akash, Bijli, Jal, Lehar, Megh, Sagar and Vayu. The process of naming cyclonic storms in a systematic manner begun since 2000. Earlier, the storms were identified with numbers or letters, which made it difficult to predict them, warn people about the danger or ships or vessels along the coasts. The storms rising in the North Indian Ocean are named by the Indian Meteorological Department.

In the Indian Ocean region eight countries India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman and Thailand started the process of giving name to cyclonic storms since 2004. These countries contribute a set of names which are assigned sequentially on the basis of the first alphabet of the member country. When the cyclonic storm forms and reaches into area of these 8 countries, predefined name is given to this cyclone.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 23, 2019 02:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).