As Cyclone Biparjoy threatens India and Pakistan, let's find out how cyclones get their names

Before we move on to the "how", it is important to know why cyclones are named. You would think that calling it a cyclone would suffice in communicating the urgency of the situation. Is there actually a need to give it a name? The answer is yes.

The logic behind naming a cyclone is very simple. It is either we assign it a code or name it, and it is easier to remember a name than a string of numbers and alphabet and/or technical terms.

Additionally, cyclones are given names to make it easier for people to communicate about these severe storms. This serves not only the public but also the media, scientific community, disaster managers, and people who communicate about the cyclone.

The name makes it easy to identify individual cyclones rapidly disseminate warnings to increase community preparedness, create awareness of its development, and also remove confusion when there are multiple storm systems over a region.

For example, in 2021 cyclones, Tauktae and Yaas hit the same region in a matter of days. The names make it easy to differentiate between them and report which storm is affecting which area.

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) maintains rotating lists of names, which are appropriate for each tropical cyclone basin. 

As a common rule, cyclones formed in different ocean basins across the world are named by that areas, regional specialised meteorological centres (RSMCs) and Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWCs). 

There are six RSMCs around the world. 

• Southwest Pacific Ocean: RSMC Nadi-Tropical Cyclone Centre - Fiji Meteorological Service (Nadi, Fiji)
• Southwest Indian Ocean: RSMC La Reunion-Tropical Cyclone Centre / Météo France (Réunion island, French Overseas Department)
• Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea: RSMC - Tropical Cyclones New Delhi / India Meteorological Department (New Delhi, India)
• Western North Pacific Ocean and South China Sea RSMC Tokyo / Japan Meteorological Agency (Tokyo, Japan)
• Central North Pacific Ocean - RSMC Honolulu Central Pacific Hurricane Center (Honolulu, Hawaii, USA)
• Northeast Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and North Atlantic Ocean - RSMC Miami / National Hurricane Center
• So, for the current cyclone Biparjoy which originated in the Arabian Sea, the name was taken from a list maintained by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

As we already mentioned, different regions have their own Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres (RSMCs) who decide the names, generally from a list of names they have. The names are suggested by member nations of the RSMCs.

Example: The Indian RSMC has 13 nations — India, Bangladesh, Iran, Myanmar, Maldives, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Yemen. Each nation suggested 13 names each.

In cyclone Biporjoy's case the name was recommended by Bangladesh means. This Bangla name means 'disaster'.

While picking names for cyclones, there are a few rules that countries need to follow. If these rules/guidelines are met, the name is accepted by the panel on tropical cyclones (PTC) that finalises the selection:

1. The proposed name should be neutral to (a) politics and political figures (b) religious believes, (c) cultures and (d) gender
2. Name should be chosen in such a way that it does not hurt the sentiments of any group of population over the globe
3. It should not be very rude and cruel in nature
4. It should be short, easy to pronounce and should not be offensive to any member
5. The maximum length of the name will be eight letters
6. The proposed name should be provided with its pronunciation and voice over

Here's something you might not be aware of. If a cyclone is particularly devastating or costly, then its name is retired and replaced by another.

Example: The World Meteorological Organization announced on March 30, 2023, that the names Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Fiona will be replaced by two new names; "Farah" will replace "Fiona", while "Ian" will be replaced by "Idris."

Some more infamous storm names that have been retired are Mangkhut (the Philippines, 2018), Irma and Maria (the Caribbean, 2017), Haiyan (the Philippines, 2013), Sandy (the USA, 2012), Katrina (the USA, 2005), Mitch (Honduras, 1998) and Tracy (Darwin, 1974).

In May 2020, with the naming of Cyclone Amphan, the original list of names established in 2004 for the North Indian Ocean region was exhausted and a new list was established. Cyclone Biparjoy is actually the 14th name on that list.

You might've noticed that in the previous slide, we mentioned retired hurricane names. If you're wondering why we did that while talking about cyclones, it's because both are basically the same thing.

The spiralling tropical storms are called hurricanes when they develop over the North Atlantic, central North Pacific, and eastern North Pacific. However, when they form over the South Pacific and Indian Ocean, they're called hurricanes and typhoons when they develop in the Northwest Pacific.