Havoc of Tropical Cyclone Tauktae
Recently Cyclone Tauktae has caused great devastation in the states of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra. A very warm Arabian Sea will result in many more such storms in coming years.
About Tauktae:
- The cyclone is named ‘Tauktae’ by Myanmar, which in Burmese language means ‘gecko’, meaning a highly noisy lizard. Tauktae a tropical cyclone.
- Tropical cyclones generally develop during the pre-monsoon (April to June months) and post-monsoon (October to December) periods in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.
- Severe strong cyclones always occur in the months of May – June and October – November, greatly affecting the Indian shores.
Classification of cyclones:
- According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), cyclones are classified based on the maximum sustained surface wind speed they generate.
- It intensified extremely rapidly from a Very Severe Cyclonic storm to an Extremely Severe Cyclonic storm, something that India Meteorological Department hadn’t forecast.
- The severity of cyclones is determined by their speed. These include the speed of severe cyclones 48–63 km/h, the speed of very severe cyclones 64–89 km/h, the speed of extremely severe cyclones 90–119 km / h, and the speed of super cyclonic storms 120 km / h.
Origin in Arabian Sea:
- This cyclone is the fourth cyclone in four consecutive years to develop in the Arabian Sea in the pre-monsoon period (April to June).
- Earlier in the year 2018, ‘Makanu Cyclone’ came to Oman. After this, in the year 2019, ‘Vayu Cyclone’ affected Gujarat. After this, ‘Nisarg cyclone’ came to Maharashtra in the year 2020. All these cyclones are categorized as either ‘severe cyclones’ or above.
Major area of cyclones:
- According to one data, on average, a total of five cyclones are produced in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea every year. Of which 4 originate in the Bay of Bengal. The Bay of Bengal is warmer than the Arabian Sea.
- According to the data, in the year 2018, 4 cyclones occurred in the Bay of Bengal, and three cyclones developed in the Arabian Sea.
- Similarly, in the year 2019, 5 cyclones were formed in the Arabian Sea and three cyclones formed in the Bay of Bengal. This led to the emergence of three more cyclones in the Arabian Sea than the Bay of Bengal in the last two years.
- In the year 2020, 3 cyclones occurred in the Bay of Bengal, while only two cyclones occurred in the Arabian Sea.
- According to meteorologists, the Arabian Sea has also been warming for the near years. The main reason for this is the phenomenon of global warming.
- Due to global warming, it has been observed that the rise in sea surface temperature in the Arabian Sea has been continuous for almost 40 This increase in temperature ranges from 1.2 to 1.4 ° C.
Tropical cyclone:
- Tropical cyclones occur in warm tropical oceans. It is an intense circular storm. Its major feature is low atmospheric pressure, strong winds and heavy rainfall.
- The eye of tropical cyclones has clear skies, warm temperatures, and low atmospheric pressure.
- Tropical cyclones are known as Hurricanes in the North Atlantic and East Pacific. Similarly, in Southeast Asia and China, they are called Typhoons. Willy-Willies in northwestern Australia and the Tropical Cyclones in the southwest Pacific and Indian Ocean region.
- It should be noted that their motion is counter-clockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere.
The following are favorable conditions of tropical cyclones:
- A large sea surface with a temperature of over 27 ° C.
- Presence of Coriolis force.
- Minimum changes in vertical/vertical wind speed.
- Already weak low-pressure zones or low-level cyclonic circulation.
- Divergence above sea level system.
Source – The Hindu
