As the month of March begins, the probability of cyclones also increases for both the Indian seas of Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea. This threat of cyclones extends until the Monsoon arrives.
The last cyclone which approached the Indian subcontinent was ‘Pabuk’ back in January. Cyclones are known by different names in US and the pacific region, where they call it by names such as ‘Hurricane’ and ‘Typhoon’.
Last year was a stormy one for India with a total of seven storms appearing in a single year, setting a record. Here are some names you might still remember from the headlines- Sagar, Mekunu, Daye, Luban, Titli, Gaja and Phethai.
Indian mainland has two seasons when it is approached by the maximum number of Cyclones-
- March to May (Pre-Monsoon)
- October to December (Post-Monsoon)
March however begins with least number of cyclones and the frequency peaks towards May. Also, the post-monsoon season sees more cyclones than pre-monsoon. There are also years -2012, 2013 and 2014- when no cyclones appear in the pre-monsoon season.
Quick Fact- Most cyclones appearing in April month in Bay of Bengal, make a landfall over Myanmar and Bangladesh, with a little probability of landing over West Bengal at times. The ones building in Arabian Sea head over to Yaman, Oman or Somali Coast. While towards the end of the Pre-monsoon season, threat shifts more towards India coast over states like West Bengal, Odisha and Gujarat.
States like West Bengal, Odisha and Gujarat are the ones most susceptible to cyclones during the pre-monsoon period.
These cyclones originate as a weak disturbance at first which under favorable conditions convert to Cyclones.
These cyclones are further categorized based on their intensity-
Quick Fact- Over 70% of the total cyclones are Cat I. Out of these 40% turn into Cat II.
Yet another categorization which the Indian authorities follow is-
Recent cyclones such as Phailin, Hud Hud, Nilofar were of extremely severe category. Cyclone Guna in 2001 was the only Super Cyclonic Storm ever observed in the history of the world.
Cyclones didn't have names before. They began to be named in India only after a super cyclonic storm hit Odisha in 1999 killing ten thousand people.
Cyclone Bhola is the deadliest cyclone recorded in history, with death toll due to the storm at 5 lakhs.
Technological advancement has now made forecast of storm location and intensity possible during such happenings. This has in return helped in bringing damages to minimum as evacuations can be conducted beforehand.
Image Credits – Head Topics
Any information taken from here should be credited to Skymet Weather
