Cyclone Yaas is expected to hit the east coast on Wednesday.
After Cyclone Tauktae hit India's west coast last week, leaving a trail of destruction, another cyclonic storm is expected to hit the east coast.
Cyclone Yaas is likely to make landfall Wednesday on West Bengal and Odisha coasts with wind speeds reaching up to 165 kmph. From tomorrow, heavy rain is likely in coastal areas, according to the India Meteorology Department (IMD).
Bengal and Odisha are bracing for the storm. Nearly 100 teams of the National Disaster Response Force or NDRF are on duty.
"At 0830 IST,CS 'Yaas' centred near 16.4 N/89.6 E, 630 km south-southeast of Balasore (Odisha). Would intensify further into SCS during next 12 hours and into a VSCS during subsequent 24 hours, to cross north Odisha-West Bengal coasts b/w Paradip and Sagar islands around 26th noon," the weather department said in a tweet this afternoon.
How Are Cyclones 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).
The panel, initially, comprised India, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. They followed a standard procedure and sent suggestions to name cyclones. A list was compiled. Since then, each cyclone in the region is given a name according to the list on a rotational basis.
In 2008, the panel was expanded to include Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Now, these 13 countries name the cyclones in the region.
In 2004, the group, which then comprised eight countries, had finalised a list of 64 names - eight names from each country. Last year, a new list was released that has 169 names of cyclones, a compilation of 13 suggestions each from 13 countries.
How Was Cyclone 'Yaas' Named?
Cyclone Yaas was named by Oman, following the same procedure.
What Does It Mean?
The word 'Yaas' is said to have originated from the Persian language, and it means 'Jasmin' in English.
India faced two cyclones around May last year, including Cyclone Amphan, which is pronounced as "Um-pun" and means sky. The name was given by Thailand.
The other cyclone was named Nisarga and it formed in the Arabian Sea. Its name was given by Bangladesh and it meant nature.
Why Are Cyclones Given Names?
Naming helps the scientific community, experts, disaster management teams, and the general public to identify each cyclone. It removes confusion if two or more cyclones are occurring simultaneously over the region.
It allows the dissemination of warnings effectively to a much wider audience and increases community preparedness. Naming also helps in future reference when a past cyclone needs to be mentioned or discussed.
How Should Cyclones Be Named?
The names should be short, simple, and easily understood. Also, they should not be culturally sensitive or convey any inflammatory meaning.