How to Name a Cyclone?

Neelam Lashari

Islamabad: A cyclone is a natural and catastrophic phenomenon. It always left people scared because of its aftermath. A cyclone is a large air mass that rotates around a powerful centre of low atmospheric pressure. It moves clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere and anti-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere. It is a Greek word, whereas Cyclos means the ‘coil of a snake’.

The Cyclones always remain in the headlines and recently the Biporjoy was a centre of attention, especially for the people of Indo-Pak. But have you ever wondered where these names came from?

Initially, ‘cyclones’ were used to name the boats. Later, in the early 1900s, cyclones were given names after women, and in 1979, the cyclones also started with the names of males. Now, the cyclones are named systematically. The cyclone names help the masses differentiate and remember them easily.

The speed of the cyclone matters a lot, to name a few. If the speed of the cyclone is more than 34 nautical miles per hour (knot), then it becomes necessary to label it. On the other hand, if the cyclone’s speed crosses 74knot, it is classified as a typhoon or hurricane.

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The Social Commission for the Asia Pacific (ESCAP) and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) have been naming the cyclone since 2000. WMO is responsible for labelling the cyclones that occurred in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Oman, the Maldives, and Myanmar. Later in 2018, five more countries were added to the list. It includes Saudi Arabia, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.

The interesting fact is that if the cyclone is fatal, it must be retired and never allowed to be used again. A few names that have been permanently cut off include the Hurricane of 2005, named after Katrina; 2015 Joaquin; 2017 Maria; and Irma. Moreover, the deadly 2018 hurricane named Florence has also been retired. The WMO always replaces the retired names with the new ones.

The names of the cyclones are usually based on their historical, cultural, or geographical significance to the respective countries. Hence, there are a few guidelines that must be considered while naming cyclones.

The cyclone names must be neutral in respect of religious, political, cultural, and gender beliefs. The name should not hurt the sentiments of any individual or group of people around the globe.

Another restriction that must be kept in mind while naming the cyclone is that the name should be easy to pronounce, short, inoffensive, and not rude.

The most important condition is that the digits of the cyclone name must not exceed the eight-digit limit.

Nevertheless, most of the time, cyclones are dangerous and they leave countless wounds behind. We should pray for the safety of human beings around the globe. We hope that no one will ever face such natural disasters in life.

The writer is the director of research and evaluation at GSA. She is an author and a bilingual poet.

The article is the writer’s personal opinion.