A cyclonic storm – Asani originated in the Bay of Bengal and is moving towards the Indian Eastern Coast (Odisha and Andhra Pradesh).
It lead to heavy rains and storm-like conditions in the states. Thunderstorms and moderate rainfall is predicted in the West Bengal regions of Howrah, Kolkatta and Hooghly as well.
The storm Asani was moving west-northwest with a speed of 25 km/hr which reached 120 km/hr in due course of time.
Who named the cyclone ‘Asani’?
Asani is the first cyclonic storm of the season this year. It has been named by Sri Lanka. Asani means wrath in Sinhalese.
The storms are named by various countries affected by it in turns every year. This is why a list of names was released in 2020 consisting of 169 names. 13 names were provided from 13 countries. This time it was the turn of Sri Lanka to name the cyclone.
The next storm that would hit the coasts would be named by Thailand and later by India. Ghurni, Probaho, Jhar and Murasu are the upcoming names from India.
How are cyclones named?
There are a total of 6 Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres (RSMCs) across the world and 5 regional Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres. These are mandated for issuing the names to the storms.
The arrangement is done according to the alphabetical order of names given.
The names must be neutral to gender, religion, political issues, cultures etc. It is used in sequence. Also, the designation must be absent from the 6 RSMCs. In case the name has to pass from one waterbody to another, it would not be changed. Also, the name would never be reused. The names can only have a maximum of 8 letters. Naming ths storms of the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian sea began in 2004.