Bhubaneswar: The deep depression over southwest Bay of Bengal is gaining momentum and likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm ‘Michaung’ by Sunday, bringing heavy to very heavy rain of 115.6 to 204.4 mm to Odisha during the expected landfall between Nellore and Machilipatnam along Andhra Pradesh coast on December 5.
While the system is likely cross South Andhra Pradesh coast with a maximum sustained wind speed of 80-90 kmph gusting to 100 kmph, squally wind speed reaching 35-45 kmph gusting to 55 kmph may prevail along and off Odisha coast (Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, and Jagatsinghpur) from December 4 evening and gradually increase becoming 40-50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph from December 5 evening for subsequent 12 hours, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Also Read: Odisha Braces For Heavy Rain, Squall As Cyclone ‘Michaung’ Brews Over Bay; Check IMD Warning
Each tropical cyclone is given a name to avoid confusion. Here, the name ‘Michaung’, suggested by Myanmar, means strength and resilience. It is the sixth cyclone in the Indian Ocean and the fourth in the Bay of Bengal in 2023.
OTHER CYCLONES IN 2023 & THE NAMES
>> Cyclonic Storm Midhili crossed the Bangladesh coast with a wind speed of 60-70 kmph gusting to 80 kmph on November 17
>> ‘Hamoon’ barrelled into the southeastern coast of Bangladesh coast between Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar districts in the early hours of October 25, with wind speed of up to 104 kmph
>> Simultaneously, cyclonic storm Tej made landfall on the eastern Yemeni coast overnight between October 23 and 24 with wind speed of 80-90 kmph gusting to 100
>> Cyclone Biparjoy made landfall near Jakhau Port in Gujarat’s Kutch district June 15 evening, bringing winds sustaining at 115-125kmph, after churning across the Arabian Sea for over 10 days
>> Cyclone Mocha made landfall on May 14 afternoon in Myanmar’s Rakhine state near Sittwe township with wind speed of 209 kmph
While Midhili means ‘huge tree’ in the Maldivian language, Iran’s suggested Hamoon is a Persian word, referring to inland desert lakes or marshlands. Tej, which means ‘speed‘ in Hindi, was given by India, Biparjoy was suggested by Bangladesh and the word means ‘disaster’ or ‘calamity’ in Bengali. Yemen suggested Mocha, pronounced as Mokha, which is named after a Red Sea port city known for its coffee production. The city also gave its name to the popular beverage, café Mocha.
For the Indian Ocean region, a formula for naming cyclones was agreed upon in 2000. Thirteen countries in the region – Bangladesh, India, Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Yemen – contributed a set of names, which are assigned sequentially whenever a cyclonic storm develops. The names are chosen to be easy to remember and pronounce, and they must not be offensive or controversial. They are also chosen from a variety of languages so that people from different regions can identify with them.
Also Read: Cyclone ‘Michaung’: Odisha Govt Cancels Leave Of Agri Officers In 5 Districts
