BENGALURU: The formation of tropical cyclones is not new and neither is their naming. But this one - Asani - has caught the attention of many. This is not just because of its movement, the heavy rainfall and the drop in mercury levels. But because of its name.
It has been named by Sri Lanka and means Raat (night). That is not all, officials from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said with the increasing formation of cyclones, India’s turn to name the cyclone, which is fifth in the list, will come soon.
As per the World Meteorological Organisation’s National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, 13 countries suggest list of names for cyclones forming in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea, which are to be used alphabetically country wise. The list of countries in the panel include - Bangladesh, India, Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
“Asani is the first cyclone of this year and as per order, it was Sri Lanka’s turn to name it. The next will be named by Thailand as Sitrang. The next name suggested by India is Tej and it will come fifth in line. But going by the increasing formation of cyclones over the years, the turn of India is not far behind,” a senior IMD official told TNIE.