CYCLONE
MIDHILI - GEOGRAPHY
News:
Cyclone Midhili continues
to weaken after hitting Bangladesh coast; heavy rain lashes Northeast states
What's
in the news?
●
Cyclone Midhili, which crossed Bangladesh, weakened from a ‘deep
depression’ into a ‘depression’ early this morning, as per the India
Meteorological Department (IMD).
Key
takeaways:
●
Deep
Depression (remnant of Cyclonic Storm “Midhili”) over Tripura
& adjoining Bangladesh weakened into a Depression and about 50 km
east-southeast of Agartala and 160 km southwest of Silchar.
●
It was formed as a deep depression over
the Bay of Bengal intensified into a
cyclonic storm ‘Midhili’.
Cyclones:
●
Cyclones are a type of low-pressure environment with rapid
inward air circulation.
●
In the Northern Hemisphere, air flows
counter clockwise, while in the Southern Hemisphere, it circulates clockwise.
Tropical
Cyclones:
●
The term ‘Tropical Cyclone’ is used by the
World Meteorological Organization to describe weather systems with winds
greater than ‘Gale Force’ (minimum
of 63 km per hour).
●
Tropical cyclones are formed in the region
between the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer.
●
They are large-scale weather systems that
form over tropical or subtropical oceans and coalesce into surface wind
circulation.
●
Tropical cyclones are one of the world’s
most destructive natural disasters.
Favourable
Conditions for the Formation of Tropical Cyclone:
●
A large area of water surface with a temperature above 27° C
●
The Coriolis
force is strong enough to form a cyclonic vortex.
●
Variations
in the vertical wind speed are minor.
●
A weak
low-pressure area or low-level cyclonic circulation already exists.
●
Above the sea level system, there should
be a higher divergence.
Local
Names:
●
North Atlantic (including Caribbean and
Gulf of Mexico): Hurricanes
●
Eastern and Central North Pacific:
Hurricanes
●
Western Northern Pacific: Typhoons
●
Arabian Sea/Northern Indian Ocean:
Tropical Cyclones
●
South Indian Ocean: Tropical
Cyclones/Willy-Willy for southwest Australia
●
Coral Sea/South Pacific: Tropical Cyclone.