Cyclone Sitrang likely to hit Bay of Bengal on Diwali
The threat of a tropical storm is looming over India's eastern coast and especially Odisha as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed the probability of a cyclonic formation over the Bay of Bengal around Sunday or Monday. The IMD's Bhubaneswar center said the cyclonic circulation formed over the south Andaman Sea on Monday and has now moved to the north Andaman Sea.
Weather expert says Odisha, Andhra Pradesh to be most affected
Why does this story matter?
If it intensifies, it will the first tropical cyclone to form in the Bay of Bengal in October since 2018. The category-four Cyclone Fani which pummeled coastal Odisha causing great destruction in 2019 had originated near the equator from a tropical depression that formed west of the Indonesian island Sumatra. Some weather models have forecast that Sitrang could follow the path of Fani.
Low-pressure area within 48 hours
The IMD warned that a low-pressure area could develop over the southeast and east-central Bay of Bengal within the next 48 hours. Some weather models predicted Sitrang making landfall between the coast of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. By Saturday morning, the formation could move west-northwestward from center and concentrate into a depression before eventually becoming a cyclonic storm over the west-central area.
The map shows the limits of impact
Cyclone named Sitrang by Thailand
The name Sitang is given by Thailand which is reportedly an ethnic Thai surname. It is one among the 169 names enlisted by the IMD in 2020. Countries are listed in alphabetic order and they propose a set of names which are neutral to gender, politics, religious faiths, and cultures. The last cyclone, Asani was named by Sri Lanka and now it's Thailand's turn.
Here is the list of 169 names
How is it decided?
Cyclones are named for people to remember them easily and have better documentation. Earlier, arbitrarily naming cyclones created confusion, following which a systematic nomenclature came into effect. Under this, any one of the six Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres (RSMCs) and five Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWCs) name the cyclones formed in any ocean basin around the world. This includes the IMD.
IMD sends storm advisories to 13 countries
The IMD names the cyclones which develop over the north Indian Ocean, which is the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. It warns 13 countries of storm surges and tropical cyclones which include Bangladesh, India, Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. The naming of cyclones over north Indian Ocean began in 2004.
