Pronounced as ‘Biporjoy’, this Bangla name recommended by Bangladesh means ‘disaster’ — fitting for a cyclone that may transform into a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm at its peak later this week.
Under this decree, six Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres (RSMCs) and five regional Tropical Storm Warning Centres (TCWCs) have been authorised to issue advisories and assign names to tropical cyclones worldwide.
The responsibility for South and Southeast Asian countries falls upon the India Meteorological Department (IMD). This RSMC is responsible for 13 nations, viz. India, Bangladesh, Iran, Myanmar, Maldives, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Yemen.
In April 2020, the IMD compiled a new list of 169 names for cyclones, with each country contributing 13 names. These names are distributed among 13 lists, ensuring that each list includes at least one submission from every country.
Following a sequential order, one list is exhausted before moving on to the next. The names are alphabetically organised based on the respective countries, and the designated titles are assigned to emerging storms in the Indian Ocean and South Pacific regions.
With the arrival of Biparjoy, the region has now transitioned to List 2, following the utilization of all names from List 1 — Nisarga, Gati, Nivar, Burevi, Tauktae, Yaas, Gulab, Shaheen, Jawad, Asani, Sitrang, Mandous and Mocha.
Warning for Karachi: Strong winds, showers and high tides herald the coming of Cyclone Biparjoy, which is expected to make landfall between Keti Bandar in Sindh and Kutch in Indian Gujarat sometime tomorrow