Below is the list of major tropical cyclones/storms that wreaked havoc in the Indian states in the year 2020. The list also mentions the name of the cyclone, the country which named the cyclone, the month in which they occurred and finally the regions affected.
What is a Cyclone?
The term 'Cyclone' had its origin from the Greek word 'Cyclos' meaning coiling of the snake.
Cyclone is a weather condition that occurs when a large group of clouds rotates inwardly towards an area of low barometric pressure either in a clockwise (Southern hemisphere) or anticlockwise directions (Northern hemisphere).
Usually, they are accompanied by heavy rain and massive thunderstorms.
What are Tropical Cyclones?
Cyclones that originate over the tropical waters are called Tropical Cyclones. They can be classified into 3. They are as follows:
- Tropical Storm,
- Tropical Cyclone,
- Tropical Depression.
The tropical cyclones have different names in different regions. They are called:
- Typhoons – Western Pacific Ocean regions.
- Hurricanes – North Atlantic & Eastern Pacific Ocean regions.
- Tropical cyclones – around the Indian Ocean regions.
- Willy Willy – North Australian regions.
- Tornadoes – USA.
- Baguio – China Sea regions.
Major Tropical Cyclones of 2020 (India)
| Name | Named By | Month | Regions Affected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amphan (Meaning: Sky) |
Thailand | May (16–21) |
Odisha, West Bengal, Bangladesh, Bhutan & Sri Lanka |
| Nisarga (Meaning: Nature) |
Bangladesh | June (1–4) |
Goa & Maharashtra |
| Gati (Meaning: Speed/velocity) |
India | November (21-24) |
Somalia, Yemen & Djibouti |
| Nivar (Meaning: Light) |
Iran | November (23-27) |
Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry & Sri Lanka |
| Burevi (Meaning: Black Mangroves) |
Maldives | November 30 - December 5 |
Kerala, Tamil Nadu & Sri Lanka |
Of these tropical cyclones, Cyclone Amphan was the 1st pre-monsoon supercyclone of the 21st century that emerged from the Bay of Bengal.
We can find at least one question based on this topic in the GK section of every competitive exams including PSC, UPSC, RRB, SSB, IBPS & insurance exams.
Naming of Cyclones
Cyclones are named after the wind speed reaches 34 nautical miles per hour. Once the wind speed exceeds over 74 mph they are classified as cyclones (or other names depending upon the region).
A group of 8 nations (India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan & the Maldives) in the Indian Ocean region formed an organization called WMO/ESCAP (World Meteorological Organisation/United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific) for naming the cyclones occurring in the region.
Later in 2018, five more countries (Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE & Yemen) joined in.
Each country will submit 13 names to the cyclone name list every year. This list is submitted to India Meteorological Department (IMD), the Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre (RSMC) which publishes the cyclone name list.
The upcoming cyclones will be named column-wise according to the list given below:
When IMD decided to make new a list of 169 names suggested by the WMO/ESCAP members, Amphan was the last name used from the previous list.
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