New Delhi, June 12: A cyclone called 'Vayu' is likely to hit Gujarat on Thursday. Heavy rains and winds are likely across Gujarat as Cyclone Vayu is closing in on the Arabian Sea coast. Many of you have wondered how cyclonic storms are given such weird names. The last cyclone that hit Odisha was called 'Fani'. Pronounced ‘Foni’, the cyclone’s name was suggested by Bangladesh. Fani means 'hood of snake'. Cyclone Vayu To Make Landfall on June 13 Between Veraval And Mahuva; Gujarat on High Alert.

The name 'Vayu' is suggested by India. It is a Sanskrit word which means wind. The next cyclone, whenever it occurs, will be called 'Hikaa'. While the National Hurricane Center in the USA 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 eight Asian countries – India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Cyclone Vayu Impact in Mumbai: City to Witness Strong Winds, Police Ask People To Be Cautious.

List of names for cyclones

The list has 64 names. Each country has given eight names which are arranged in an 8×8 table. Cyclones are named sequentially, column-wise, with each cyclone given the name immediately below that of the previous one. Once the bottom of the column is reached, the sequence moves to the top of the next column. The names given by India are Agni, Akash, Bijli, Jal, Lehar, Megh, Sagar and Vayu.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 12, 2019 10:53 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).