Facts for Prelims (FFP)
Source: IE
Context: Cyclone Michaung, heading towards the Andhra coast, is considered unusual due to its high intensity and timing in December, a month when storms in the North Indian Ocean typically don’t reach destructive levels.
- The cyclone, initially predicted to be a ‘tropical cyclone,’ was upgraded to a ‘severe’ storm, with wind speeds ranging from 88 kph to 166 kph.
- This intensification in December is unique, attributed to above-normal heat index values off the southern Andhra Pradesh coast.
Cyclone intensification is influenced by factors such as warm ocean temperatures, Tropical Cyclone Heat Potential (TCHP), atmospheric conditions, wind shear, convection, Rossby waves, and air-sea interaction.
About Cyclones:
Cyclones are large-scale weather systems characterized by low-pressure centers, rotating winds, and atmospheric instability. They are known by different names in various regions, such as hurricanes (Atlantic and eastern Pacific), typhoons (northwestern Pacific), and tropical cyclones (southwestern Pacific and Indian Ocean).
