Cyclone Mocha: All About The Storm Brewing Over Bay Of Bengal

West Bengal and Odisha are bracing for Cyclone Mocha, the first cyclone to hit the country in 2023, as the weather office has predicted heavy rains and high-speed winds over the region in coming days.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned that a low pressure area that formed over the Bay of Bengal on Monday is likely to intensify into a cyclone on Wednesday.

What has IMD said about Cyclone Mocha?

"The cyclonic storm will move initially north-northwest to central Bay of Bengal till May 11 and then re-curve and move north-northeast towards Bangladesh-Myanmar coast," Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of India Meteorological Department said.

The MeT has warned fishermen, ships and small boats against venturing into the south-east Bay of Bengal as rain and high-speed winds reaching up to 70 kmph are expected over the southeast Bay of Bengal.

As Cyclone Mocha progresses, the southern states are expected to witness rainfall and the Andaman and Nicobar islands are likely to see very heavy rainfall on Tuesday, the weather office said.

What is a cyclone and how do they occur?

As per the India Meteorological Department, a "cyclonic storm' or a "cyclone" is an intense vortex or a whirl in the atmosphere with very strong winds circulating around it.

The word "cyclone" originates from the Greek word "cyclos" which refers to the coiling of a snake.

Cyclones form when the sea-surface temperature rises above 26.5 degrees Celsius and usually bring with them extreme winds and heavy rainfall which can result in large-scale destruction including floods in coastal areas.

Interestingly, cyclones are also called hurricanes and typhoons in the West and “willy-willies” in Australia.

Why and how are cyclones named?

Apart from being easy to remember as compared to numbers or scientific names, naming a cyclone helps in quickly warning the people living in areas affected by it.

Cyclones across the world are named by the six regional specialised meteorological centres (RSMCs) and five tropical cyclone warning centres (TCWCs). The IMD is one of them

In 2000, a group of nations including India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, the Maldives, Oman, Iran, Sauid Arabia, Yemen, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand, started to name cyclones in the Asia and Pacific region.

Here are the names suggested for other cyclones:

What is the meaning behind Cyclone Mocha's name?

The name Mocha was suggested by Yemen after a Red Sea port city, which is said to have introduced coffee to the world more than 500 years ago.