Tauktae Cyclonic Storm and Impact

Tauktae Cyclonic Storm
Source : PIB
GS I : Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location- changes in critical geographical features (including waterbodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.

Why in News ?

Tauktae Cyclonic Storm Intensify during next 12 hours and is very likely to intensify further during the subsequent 24 hours.

Cyclone Tauktae is likely to intensify into a “severe cyclonic storm” within six hours, and may hit the Gujarat coast.

Key Facts

Tauktae Cyclonic Storm Intensify further into a very severe cyclonic storm.
First cyclonic storm this year as India.
Rainfall is expected Lakshadweep Islands, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Konkan & Goa, Gujarat, Southwest Rajasthan.
How recautions taken by authority during Tauktae Cyclonic Storm?
- Ships are advised to avoid the area
- Naval base operations may maintain necessary pre-cautions
- Fishermen are advised not to venture into Arabian Sea
- Tourism activities may be restricted over the area specified.

What is a Tropical Cyclone?

A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain.
Tropical cyclones typically form over large bodies of relatively warm water.
They derive their energy through the evaporation of water from the ocean surface, which ultimately recondenses into clouds and rain.
The strong rotating winds of a tropical cyclone are a result of the conservation of angular momentum imparted by the Earth’s rotation as air flows inwards toward the axis of rotation.
Tropical cyclones are typically between 100 and 2,000 km (62 and 1,243 mi) in diameter.
Wind blowing counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.
The opposite direction of circulation is due to the Coriolis effect.

Tauktae name was suggested by Myanmar which in Burmese means gecko, a highly vocal lizard.

How is a cyclone named?

Who/Authority : World Meteorological Organisation, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (WMO/ESCAP) Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC).
Why naming cyclone ?
- Avoid confusion if two or more cyclones are occurring simultaneously over the region.
- Naming helps in future reference.
Who are the member countries ? : India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Maldives, Oman, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
Naming from the list
- With 8 countries in 2004 there was a list of 64 names eight names from each country.
- Later years the member countries increased to 13 combined released 169 names of cyclones with 13 names from each countries.
Conditions for naming :
- Names of the cyclones should be short, simple and easily understood.
- culturally sensitive or convey any inflammatory meaning.

What is the difference between Cyclone, Hurricane, Typhoon ?

Depending on its location and strength, a tropical cyclone is referred to by names such as hurricane, tropical storm, cyclonic storm, tropical depression, and simply cyclone.
A hurricane is a storm that occurs in the Atlantic Ocean and northeastern Pacific Ocean.
Typhoon occurs in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.
Cyclone occurs in the south Pacific or Indian Ocean.

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