New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a warning regarding a low-pressure system forming over the East-central Bay of Bengal, predicting its evolution into a severe cyclonic storm by Wednesday.
This impending cyclone, to be named “Dana,” is expected to make landfall in the northern regions of Odisha and West Bengal late Thursday night or early Friday morning, with wind speeds reaching up to 120 km/h.
In a detailed update shared via X, the IMD noted that the low-pressure system is anticipated to transition into a depression by Tuesday morning and escalate into a full-fledged cyclonic storm by Wednesday. The storm is forecasted to track northwestward, drawing closer to the coasts of Odisha and West Bengal, specifically targeting an area between Puri and Sagar Island for landfall on Thursday night and Friday morning, with wind speeds up to 120kmph.
Cyclone Dana will mark the second significant storm to develop in the North Indian Ocean within two months, following Cyclone Asna, which occurred in the Arabian Sea in late August. The name “Dana,” which signifies “generosity” in Arabic, was proposed by Qatar, adhering to established protocols for naming tropical cyclones in the region.
The practice of naming cyclones in the North Indian Ocean dates back to a 2000 agreement among several nations, including India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, facilitated by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). This initiative was aimed at enhancing communication about these powerful storms, making them more memorable compared to technical designations.
In 2018, the naming panel expanded to include five additional countries—Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen—leading to a comprehensive list of 169 cyclone names that was finalized by the IMD in April 2020. Each country contributed 13 suggestions to this list.
The rationale behind naming cyclones is rooted in improving public awareness and response to these weather events. A memorable name facilitates effective communication among the general populace, media, and disaster management agencies. Naming conventions require that proposed names remain neutral, culturally sensitive, and concise, with guidelines that ensure no repetitions and respect for diverse global sentiments.
Naming Cyclones: Guidelines and Conventions
When countries submit proposals for naming cyclones, they must adhere to specific guidelines designed to ensure fairness and sensitivity. Here are the key conventions they follow:
Neutrality: Proposed names must be free from political implications, religious connotations, cultural biases, and gender references.
Respectfulness: Names should not offend or hurt the sentiments of any demographic or cultural group worldwide.
Appropriateness: Names need to be inoffensive, avoiding any rude or cruel associations.
Simplicity: Names should be short, easy to pronounce, and non-offensive to members of the Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC).
Length: Each name must contain no more than eight letters.
Clarity: Names must be provided with a pronunciation guide to facilitate accurate usage.
Uniqueness: A name cannot be repeated in the future, ensuring that each cyclone has a distinct identifier.
The suggested names are organised in alphabetical order according to the contributing countries. When a cyclone occurs, names are assigned from this list on a rotational basis, independent of the country that proposed them.
For example, the first cyclone to be named following the introduction of this system was “Nisarga,” which was a name submitted by Bangladesh and made landfall in Maharashtra. This was followed by “Gati,” from India, which impacted Somalia, and “Nivar,” chosen by Iran, which struck Tamil Nadu, illustrating the systematic approach to cyclone naming in the region.
