Tauktae: First Cyclone Of 2021

A cyclonic storm named ‘Tauktae’ had formed over the Arabian Sea and had crossed the Gujarat coast a few days back. Tauktae is a very severe cyclonic storm.

What does Tauktae mean?
Tauktae was a Burmese word meaning gecko, a highly vocal lizard suggested by Myanmar. Tauktae is pronounced as Tau’Te.

Why are cyclones named?
The practice of naming cyclones began to identify the storms in warning messages. It is difficult for people to remember the terms and the technical numbers of the cyclones. So, the main purpose of naming the cyclones is to make it easier for media reports to spread information, and to increase community preparedness in case of emergency.

How is a cyclone named?
The World Meteorological Organization/United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (WMO/ESCAP) Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC) are officially the organizations that used to name the cyclones.
A panel of 13 countries names the cyclones in the region. The countries are- Yemen, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Maldives, Oman, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Iran, and Qatar. On a rotation basis in the region, the names for the cyclones are given by the countries.

In the year 2020, a new list comprising 13 names of cyclones each for the 13 member countries, was made. The total of cyclone's names is 169. The names for India include Vega, Ambud, Jaladhi, Gati, Tej, Aag, Murasu, Vyom, Jhar, Probaho, Neer, Prabhanjan, and Ghurni. After Amphan, the naming will start from the first list starting again, and so on. After 13 cyclones, when List 1 is fully used, the naming would resume from List 2, and will this process will go on in the same way. In 2004, the group, which comprised eight countries then, had finalized a list of 64 names — eight names from each country. The last name on the list was Amphan, the cyclone that hit India in May 2020. While Nisarga, another cyclone that originated in the Arabian Sea in 2020, the name was given by Bangladesh and now it is the first name from the fresh list.

By- Manshi Bisht

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