The India Meteorological Department names cyclones once they reach storm strength with winds of 62km/h. The World Meteorological Organization mandates short, neutral names to help authorities manage crises and avoid confusion. The storm now threatens Andhra Pradesh and Odisha with heavy rain, potentially uprooting trees and disrupting electricity across the region.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is responsible for naming cyclones in this region.
A weather system is named only after it reaches cyclonic storm strength, with maximum sustained winds of at least 34 knots (about 62km/h).
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) mandates that names must be short and neutral to avoid offending any community.
Once a name is used, it's permanently removed from the list.
The WMO emphasizes the importance of assigning short, distinctive names to cyclones for effective crisis management.
This practice helps avoid confusion with complex geographic coordinates, especially when multiple weather systems develop over the ocean simultaneously, and makes it easier for disaster management authorities to issue evacuation orders.
It also aids media reporting and public understanding of impending dangers.
The IMD has forecast maximum sustained winds of 115-125km/h, with gusts reaching 140km/h, when the storm crosses the coast.
Heavy to extremely heavy rainfall is expected over northern and central coastal Andhra Pradesh and southern parts of Odisha, as per Reuters.
The storm has the potential to uproot trees, disrupt electricity and communications, and cause waterlogging or flooding in low-lying areas.