Storm chasing: Here's how Cyclone Biparjoy got its name and more

What is Cyclone Biparjoy? How and where did it form?

Earlier in the week, a deep depression over southeast Arabian Sea intensified into a cyclonic storm —Biparjoy — and has since intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm.

On Thursday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that Biparjoy had moved nearly northwards with a speed of 5 kilometre (km) per hour and lay centred at 5.30 am, about 850 km west-southwest of Goa, 900 km southwest of Mumbai, 930 km south-southwest of Porbandar, and 1,220 km south of Karachi.

It will intensify further in the next 24 hours and move nearly north-northwestwards during the next three days, said IMD. 

Where is the cyclone headed?

The IMD bulletin states that Gujarat may experience its effects from Friday onwards, in the form of strong winds and thunderstorms.

It further said that squally weather with wind speeds reaching 33-45 kilometre per hour is likely along and off the Karnataka-Goa-Maharashtra coast on Thursday.

The sea conditions are likely to be rough along and off the Karnataka-Goa-Maharashtra coast from June 8-10. The IMD had issued an advisory for fishermen at sea, advising them to return to the coast.

How did the cyclone get its name?

The name Biparjoy was given by Bangladesh. It means calamity or disaster in Bangla. Reportedly, the name was adopted by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) countries in 2020.

How are cyclones named?

The WMO maintains a rotating list of names, to assign names to tropical cyclones arising in any area.

Six Regional Specialized Meteorological Centres (RSMCs) and five regional Tropical Storm Warning Centres have been authorised to issue advisories and assign names to tropical cyclones worldwide.

RSMC-Tropical Cyclones, New Delhi, names tropical cyclones formed over north Indian Ocean (including the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea) from the rotating list.

Names to list were submitted by 13 panel countries: India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar, Maldives, Iran, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and Thailand.

The next cyclone in the area would be called Tej — submitted by India.