Cyclone Tauktae that intensified into an ‘extremely severe cyclonic storm’ made a landfall on Gujarat coast late on Monday evening with windspeed between 150kmph and 160kmph, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said, leaving a trail of destruction behind.
Tauktae (pronounced Tau’te) means “gecko” in Burmese. Gecko is a highly vocal lizard in Burmese dialect.
The names of cyclones originating in a particular basin have been named by the countries surrounding the basin long before they form—usually years before they form.
“The cyclone names are given by countries on rotation basis in (the) region,” Indian Forest Services officer Parveen Kaswan tweeted.
The World Meteorological Organisation/United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (WMO/ESCAP) Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC) are responsible for naming the natural calamities.
There are six regional specialised meteorological centres (RSMCs) and five regional Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWCs) across the globe to monitor cyclogenesis, issue advisories and name cyclones. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) is among six RSMCs in the world that have been mandated to name tropical cyclones in the north Indian Ocean region.
RSMC, New Delhi is, therefore, responsible for naming cyclones over the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea based on the suggested names from all these countries. Out of several criteria for naming cyclones, some very important ones are: names should be politically and culturally neutral, should not be rude and cruel and should be short, easy to pronounce. The maximum permissible length of the cyclone names is eight letters.
The cyclones are named to make it easier for people to remember and identify the storms. With a name, it is easy to create awareness and to send out alerts, and remove confusion where there are multiple cyclonic systems over a region.
The next cyclone will be called ‘Yaas’, a name was given by Oman. After that, cyclone ‘Gulab’ will make landfall in the region. Pakistan has suggested cyclone Gulab’s name. As per the IMD, the cyclones that are likely to hit the region in the coming months include Shaheen (the name given by Qatar), Jawad (the name given by Saudi Arabia), Asani (a name suggested by Sri Lanka), Sitrang (a name suggested by Thailand), Mandous (a name suggested by UAE), and Mocha (a name suggested by Yemen).
Cyclone Tauktae has claimed at least 13 lives and left a trail of destruction in Gujarat and Maharashtra, and parts of Karnataka and Goa.
