As Bangladesh and India brace for Cyclone Asani, here is how the storm was named.
The names are given by countries in the region on a rotation basis.
Sri Lanka named Asani, which signifies "wrath" in Sinhalese. It is predicted to dissipate without hitting landfall this week.
Also Read - Coastal areas brace for Cyclone Asani
Earlier, India's Meteorological Department issued a list of 169 likely tropical storm names in 2020 after negotiations with 13 World Meteorological Organization member nations. Each country was given the opportunity to submit 13 names.
The countries were Bangladesh, Iran, India, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Maldives, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
They got the opportunity to name cyclones based on their place of origin.
How do cyclones get their names?
Storms were named years ago because it was simpler to recall names than statistics and technical terminology. It also aids in the differentiation of two cyclones.
The World Health Organization (WHO) keeps track of names. Cyclones may endure for more than a week, and many cyclones can occur at the same time. As a result, distinct names are assigned to avoid misunderstandings among weather forecasters.
Generally, the names of cyclones depend on regional rules. According to the WMO website, "In the Atlantic and in the Southern hemisphere (Indian ocean and South Pacific), tropical cyclones receive names in alphabetical order, and women and men's names are alternated.
Also Read - Deep depression in Bay of Bengal intensifies into cyclonic storm Asani
In the Northern Indian Ocean, nations began utilizing a new method for naming tropical cyclones in 2000; the names are listed alphabetically by country and are gender-neutral.
The usage of short names aids in the elimination of mistakes while transmitting storm data collected from various meteorological stations, coastal bases, and ships.
