Mumbai, June 3: A severe cyclonic storm Nisarga, first since 1969, has crossed Maharashtra and is making landfall in Raigad district, over 80 kilometres from Mumbai. Cyclone Nisarga comes on the heels of cyclone Amphan which hit eastern India and Bangladesh on May 20. The name Nisarga is suggested by Bangladesh. It means nature. The next cyclone, whenever it occurs, will be called Gati. This name is suggested by India. It means speed or pace. What Does Cyclone Landfall Mean? Here's Your Glossary For Jargons Related to Cyclonic Storm.

How does a cyclone get its name?

While the National Hurricane Center in the United States names Atlantic tropical storms from its own list, cyclones in the Indian subcontinent and South-East Asian regions are named from a list prepared by 13 Asian and Middle-Eastern countries – India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Thailand. The India Meteorological Department in April released a list of names suggested by these 13 countries. The new list comprises names of 13 cyclones each for the 13 member countries,  taking the total number of cyclone names to 169.

What Next Cyclone Will Be Called:

The next cyclone, whenever it occurs in the Indian subcontinent and South-East Asian regions, will be called Gati. This name is suggested by India. It means speed or pace.

List of names suggested for cyclones (Photo Credits: IMD)
List of names suggested for cyclone (Photo Credits: IMD)
List of names suggested for cyclone (Photo Credits: IMD)

Criteria Adopted For Selection of Names:

  1. The proposed name should be neutral to (a) politics and political figures (b) religious believes, (c) cultures and (d) gender.

  2. Name should be chosen in such a way that it does not hurt the sentiments of any group of population over the globe.

  3. It should not be very rude and cruel in nature.

  4. It should be short, easy to pronounce and should not be offensive to any member.

  5. The maximum length of the name will be eight letters.

  6. The proposed name should be provided along with its pronunciation and voice over.

  7. The Panel reserves the right to reject any name, if any of the criteria above is not satisfied.

  8. The finalised names may also be reviewed during the course of time of implementation with the approval of PTC in its annual session, in case any reasonable objection is raised by any member.

  9. The names of tropical cyclones over the north Indian Ocean will not be repeated. Once used, it will cease to be used again. Thus, the name should be new. It should not be there in the already existing list of any of the RSMCs worldwide including RSMC, New Delhi.

Globally. there are six Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres (RSMCs) and five regional Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWCs) that issue names of tropical cyclones. The IMD is one of the six RSMCs to provide tropical cyclone advisories.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 03, 2020 04:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).