Cyclone ‘Tauktae’

• Currently it centred over Lakshadweep, has intensified into a cyclonic storm & is likely to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm in the next 24 hours.
• It is very likely to move north-northwestwards and reach near the Gujarat coast by May 18.
• The word Tauktae has been suggested by Myanmar, which means ‘gecko’, a distinctively vocal lizard, in the Burmese language.

How are cyclones named?

• A WMO/ESCAP (World Meteorological Organisation/United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific) Panel on Tropical Cyclones agreed in principle to assign names to the tropical cyclones in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea during its 27th session held in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, in 2000.
• The naming of the tropical cyclones over the north Indian Ocean commenced from September 2004, with names provided by eight members, starting with Bangladesh, followed by India.
• Since then, another five countries have joined the Panel.

• The Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre (RSMC), New Delhi is responsible for naming the cyclonic storms formed over the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea when they reach the relevant intensity.
• There are six RSMCs in the world, including the IMD and five Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres posters on operational readiness.