New Delhi:
Cyclone Laila is likely to hit Andhra coast by this evening. But why the rather lyrical name for a powerful cyclonic storm that has forced the evacuation of thousands even before it hits land?
The convention of naming cyclones was started by meteorologists for easy identification and analysis of storm systems. Cyclones are named as per the procedure laid down by the World Meteorological Organisation.
Cyclones formed over the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea began to be named in 2004.
The Indian Meteorological Department received a list of names from eight countries - Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Thailand and Sri Lanka - all on the World Met Organisation panel.
Sixty-four names were suggested to provide a unique identification for forecast and warning, out of which 22 have been used so far. So according to the cycle, the name "Laila" for this cyclone was suggested by Pakistan.
The next cyclonic storm would be named "Bandu" drawn from the suggestions of Sri Lanka.