The deep depression next to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, dubbed ‘Asani’ if it develops into a cyclone or cyclonic storm, is expected to bring severe rain to the archipelago, which has already been getting rain for the previous several days as the weather system approaches the coasts.
The low-pressure system that emerged last week in the southeast Bay of Bengal is predicted to grow into a cyclonic cyclone by Monday evening.
Cyclone Asani will be the first cyclonic storm of the year and the first to form in March in over two decades.
But how did the cyclone receive its name?
Cyclone Asani was named by Sri Lanka and is one of 169 names on the International Meteorological Department’s list of tropical storms in the North Indian Ocean. According to reports, the name Asani translates to ‘wrath’ in Sinhalese, one of Sri Lanka’s two official languages.
Why was Cyclone Asani named in Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka is one of 13 nations on the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)/United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia group that decided in 2018 to draught a new list of tropical cyclone names.
There are six regional specialist meteorology centers (RSMCs) and five regional Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWCs) across the world that are responsible for issuing advisories and designating tropical cyclones.
Under the WMO/ESCAP Panel, the IMD is one of six RSMCs that give tropical cyclone and storm surge advisories to 13 member countries, including Bangladesh, India, Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
The RSMC at New Delhi is also in charge of naming Tropical Cyclones that form over the north Indian Ocean (NIO), encompassing the Bay of Bengal (BoB) and the Arabian Sea (AS).
Why are cyclones given names?
According to a government news release, naming cyclones aids in identifying each particular hurricane, raising awareness of its development, and removing confusion in the event of many tropical cyclones forming over an area.
Naming a cyclone also helps authorities deal with it, and citizens recall a tropical storm easier. It also benefits in promptly and efficiently communicating warnings to a much larger audience.
The current list of names includes 13 names from each of the 13 WMO/ESCAP member nations.
The names are arranged by nation, with the countries listed alphabetically. The characters are drawn in order from the list.
The authored article is written by Sejal Wakkar and shared with Prittle Prattle News exclusively.
