Explained: Cyclone Asani is on the way, but it won’t be another Fani or Amphan. Here’s why

What is the News?

According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), Cyclone Asani is not going to hit West Bengal and is only likely to trigger a spell of rain that will majorly impact Bangladesh and Myanmar.

What is Cyclone Asani?

Cyclone Asani is a severe cyclonic storm that formed over the Bay of Bengal.

Named by: The name Asani is given by Sri Lanka which means wrath in the Sinhala language.

Significance: It is the first cyclone of 2022 formed in the North Indian Ocean region comprising the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.

Impact: In comparison to Cyclone Fani and Cyclone Amphan, Cyclone Asani is expected to only graze the coast and not make landfall.

Occurrence of Cyclones in India

India has a bi-annual cyclone season that occurs between March to May and October to December. But on rare occasions, cyclones do occur in June and September months.

Cyclones are less common during the June to September monsoon season as there are limited or almost no favourable conditions for cyclogenesis due to strong monsoon currents.​​

This is also the period when the wind shear — that is, the difference between wind speeds at lower and upper atmospheric levels — is very high. As a result, clouds do not grow vertically and monsoon depressions often fail to intensify into cyclones.

Source: The post is based on the article “Explained: Cyclone Asani is on the way, but it won’t be another Fani or Amphan. Here’s why” published in Indian Express on 10th May 2022