India is likely to witness its first post-monsoon cyclone soon. Latest reports suggest that a cyclonic storm is brewing in Arabian Sea. If it intensifies in coming days, it is likely to hit Mumbai and other coastal areas. Latest media reports say that the storm is being named as Cyclone Tej. While the intensity of the storm is yet not known, the warmer sea surface may lead to a more devastating cyclonic weather system in coming days.
As per usual weather pattern, Bay of Bengal used to see the first post-monsoon storm. However, this time around, Arabian Sea may just see India’s first storm after the receding monsoon. If this storm actually forms in coming days, this would be the third cyclone that India has seen in 2023. So far, Bay of Bengal saw Cyclone Mocha in May followed by Cyclone Biparjoy in Arabian Sea in June.
In its latest post on X (formerly Twitter), the India Meteorological Department has confirmed that the depression in Arabian Sea would ‘intensify into a cyclonic storm in next 24 hours.’ As of now, the IMD has predicted that the path of the storm. It is likely to move towards Oman and Yemen. The weather department had earlier said that Madden-Julian Oscillation is active and that will also lead to intensification of the storm.
How nations name cyclones?
Cyclone Tej was designated by the India Meteorological Department and is included in the roster of storm names approved by the WMO/ESCAP panel in April 2020. It’s noteworthy that the India Meteorological Department is one of the six Regional Specialized Meteorological Centers (RSMCs) responsible for issuing tropical cyclone and storm surge advisories to 13 member countries. These names are selected periodically by the 13 member nations and are used in a sequential order. It’s imperative that the names put forth by different countries are politically, religiously, and otherwise neutral in nature.