Source: ITV
Context: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a high alert for Andhra Pradesh and Odisha as Cyclone Montha is set to make landfall between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam near Kakinada.
About Cyclone Montha:
- What it is?
- Cyclone Montha is a tropical cyclonic storm forming over the southeast Bay of Bengal, expected to intensify into a Severe Cyclonic Storm (SCS) as it approaches India’s east coast, bringing heavy rainfall and strong winds across Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and adjoining states.
- Origin:
- The storm originated as a deep depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal, gaining strength due to warm ocean temperatures, low vertical wind shear, and high humidity, which are conducive conditions for cyclone formation in this region.
- How cyclones are formed?
- Low-Pressure Centre: Warm ocean waters (above 26°C) cause air to rise, creating a low-pressure zone.
- Condensation & Energy: As moist air rises, it condenses and releases latent heat, fueling the cyclone.
- Coriolis Effect: The Earth’s rotation causes winds to spiral anticlockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere, forming a rotating storm system.
- Development Stages: Disturbance → Depression → Deep Depression → Cyclonic Storm → Severe Cyclone → Super Cyclone (based on wind speed).
- Naming of cyclones:
- Responsible Body: Cyclones in the North Indian Ocean are named by countries under the WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC) — a joint initiative of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
- Member Countries (13 nations): India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Maldives, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Yemen.
- Naming Process:
- Each country submits 13 suggested names to the panel.
- The IMD (India Meteorological Department) maintains the regional list and assigns names sequentially when new cyclones form.
- The current list (released in 2020) contains 169 names in total.
- “Montha” was proposed by Thailand which is one of the 13 member countries from this 2020 list.
