DNA Explainer: How Asani got its name, the need and science behind naming cyclones

The India Meteorological Department said that a low pressure area formed over the South Andaman sea on Friday morning may intensify into a depression on May 7 and subsequently turn into a cyclonic storm by the evening of May 8. The cyclone which is expected to form over Bay of Bengal will be the year's first and will be called Asani.

The cyclone has been named Asani by Sri Lanka which in their local Sinhalese language means 'wrath.' United Nations' agency, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) says there can be more than one cyclone at a time in a particular geographical location or around the globe. Therefore, each tropical storm is given a name to avoid any confusion.

Read | DNA Explainer: The process of naming cyclones, its benefits and criteria - All you need to know

Need for naming the cyclones

Each tropical storm is given a name to avoid confusion, facilitating disaster risk awareness, management, and mitigation.

Short and easy-to-pronounce names are helpful in rapidly and effectively disseminating detailed cyclone information to the concerned.

Usually cyclone information details have to be shared between hundreds of scattered stations, coastal bases and ships at sea.

The trend of naming cyclones is less subject to error than the older and more cumbersome latitude-longitude identification methods.

There are six Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres worldwide and five regional Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres who issue advisories and name cyclones.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is one of the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres.

IMD provides name to a cyclone which forms over northern Indian Ocean after reaching a maximum sustained surface wind speed of 62 kmph or more.

The list is arranged according to the names, given by alphabetically-arranged counties, which are neutral to gender, politics, religious beliefs and cultures.

Once a name is used, it will not be repeated. The cyclone name can have a maximum of eight letters.

It has to be kept in mind that the name should not be offensive to any member country or hurt the sentiments of any group of population.

The naming of the cyclones helps recognise the threat and compels the countries to take necessary precautions to mitigate the damage.

Read | Explained: Who named Cyclone Asani and how? What's the meaning of Asani?

How cyclones are named?

The naming of the cyclones is done by the World Meteorological Organisation/United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (WMO/ESCAP) Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC).

Thirteen countries including India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Maldives, Oman, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen, name cyclones in the region.

In 2020, a new list of names was released that had 169 names of cyclones, having 13 suggested names each from 13 countries.

Other cyclones on the list apart from 'Asani' and 'Ampan', the IMD list has the names of 'Gati', 'Nivar', 'Burevi', 'Tauktae', 'Yaas', 'Gulab', 'Shaheen' and 'Jawad'.

The list of the names was compiled after discussions among India, Bangladesh, Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Future names of cyclones

The cyclone that will form after Asani will be called Sitrang, a name given by Thailand.

The names that will be used in the future include the likes of Ghurni, Probaho, Jhar and Murasu from India.

Other names include Biparjoy (Bangladesh), Asif (Saudi Arabia), Diksam (Yemen), Toofan (Iran) and Shakhti (Sri Lanka).

(With PTI Inputs)