Choosing the Name of Cyclones: Cyclone Dana ‘Danava’ hit Odisha and West Bengal late on Thursday night. More than 10 lakh in Odisha while seven states including Odisha and West Bengal were affected by the cyclone in Bengal. But have you ever wondered who names hurricanes and how? Does any country have any protocol regarding this? Let’s find out what are the rules for naming hurricanes.
How are storm names chosen?
Typhoons are named by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a United Nations (UN) organization. A total of 185 countries are affiliated with this organization. Each of the 5 regional weather stations responsible for hurricane activity chooses a name from their list. These names are usually short, memorable and gender neutral in India
Naming of storms
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) names cyclones that form in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. The IMD published its first nomenclature list in 1973, which included 84 names. In 2004, the list was expanded to 140 names.
The process of naming hurricanes
- The IMD prepares a list of possible names for the cyclone season a year in advance.
- The list includes both male and female names, in one of 14 languages.
- When a cyclone occurs, the IMD selects a name from the nominated list for that region.
- The first name given to the first cyclone to form in the Arabian Sea followed by the first to form in the Bay of Bengal.
- If multiple hurricanes form in the same season, the latter names are used.
