Cyclone Fengal |ForumIAS

News: A depression in the southwest Bay of Bengal has grown into a deep depression and may soon become Cyclone Fengal.

Cyclones

Cyclones are a fast inward air movement around a low-pressure area. In the Northern Hemisphere, the air circulates anticlockwise, while in the Southern Hemisphere, it moves clockwise.
Cyclones are typically associated with intense storms and severe weather.
There are two types of cyclones:
a. Tropical cyclones-These form over warm ocean waters in tropical and subtropical regions. They are characterized by low pressure, high winds, and heavy rain.
b. Extra Tropical cyclones– They are also known as wave cyclones, mid-latitude cyclones, or temperate cyclones. They develop in the mid and high latitudes, outside the tropics. They are less intense than tropical cyclones.

Origin of the Name ‘Fengal’

Proposed by– Saudi Arabia
The name Fengal is rooted in Arabic, reflecting the region’s linguistic and cultural identity.

Cyclones in the North Indian Ocean are named by member countries of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) panel.
This panel includes 13 nations: Bangladesh, India, Iran, Maldives, Pakistan among others.
Each member contributes a list of potential names, which are used sequentially as cyclones form in the region.
Cyclone names are used in order and not reused. After Fengal, the next will be Shakhti(contributed by Sri Lanka), followed by Montha (contributed by Thailand).

Cyclones occur less frequently in the Arabian Sea than in the Bay of Bengal, mainly due to variations in sea surface temperature, wind patterns, and geographical conditions.
The Bay of Bengal has more favorable conditions for cyclone formation, such as warm waters and low vertical wind shear.