Cyclone Asna: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that the deep depression that was located over the Kutch coast and the neighbouring regions of Pakistan and the northeast Arabian Sea has moved westward and strengthened into cyclonic storm "Asna" (pronounced as "As-Na"), which was centred in the same location at approximately 11.30 am on Friday.
The cyclonic storm is now located around 190 kilometres west-northwest of Bhuj, 100 kilometres west-northwest of Naliya in Gujarat, and 170 kilometres southeast of Karachi in Pakistan.
IMD states that it is unusual for cyclonic storms to form over the Arabian Sea in August. There have been 28 such systems in the Bay of Bengal in the last 132 years, but fewer in the Arabian Sea.
Cyclone Asna will be the fourth cyclone to form in the Arabian Sea in August since 1944. This type of cyclone has already happened in 1944, 1964, and 1976. Before strengthening into cyclonic storms once they reached the sea, all three of these cyclones originated on land.
August Cyclones Formed In Arabian Sea
Previously three cyclonic storms have formed in the Arabian Sea during the month of August- in 1944, 1964, and 1976.
- In 1944, a cyclonic storm intensified after emerging into the Arabian sea.
- In 1964, a short cyclone was formed near the South Gujarat coast and weakened near the coast.
- In 1976, a cyclone developed over Odisha and moved west-northwestwards. It then emerged into the Arabian Sea, making a looping track and weakened over the northwest Arabian Sea near Oman coast.
Meanwhile, the name 'Asna' has been suggested by Pakistan, which means “the one to be acknowledged or praised” in Urdu. Having said that, let us know how tropical cyclones are named.
How Tropical Cyclones Are Named?
Generally, different warning centres provide names to tropical cyclones to facilitate public-forecaster communication on watches, warnings, and forecasts. The purpose of the cyclone names is to lessen confusion if two storms occur simultaneously in the same basin.
Depending on the basin from where the storms originate, names are often granted to storms whenever they reach sustained wind speeds of more than 33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph). While some tropical cyclones include substantial amounts of gale-force winds prior to being named in the Southern Hemisphere, some tropical depressions are named in the Western Pacific.
Tropical cyclones were customarily given personal (first) names in the past; these names usually derived from locations, items, or saints' feast days on which they occurred.