AMPHAN: Cyclonic Storm intensifies into Severe Cyclonic Storm
On May 17, 2020, the Cyclonic storm Amphan in the Bay of Bengal has intensified into severe cyclonic storm. The cyclone is to cross West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts on May 20, 2020.
The National Disaster Response Force has sent 7 teams to West Bengal and 10 teams to Odisha to aid the state government in its relief measures.
What is a severe cyclonic storm?
The Severe Cyclonic Storm is a storm that has winds at the rate of 89-117 km/hr. They are called the severe based on the scale of Indian Meteorological Department
Scales of Cyclone
The Indian Meteorological Department classifies Cyclones based on their wind speeds. When the wind speed is around 31-50 km/hr, it is called depression. When the wind speed is between 51-62 km/hr, it is called Deep Depression. Beyond these speeds, the depression becomes storm. The wind speeds of different storms as follows
- Cyclonic Storm: 63-88 km/hr
- Severe Cyclonic Storm: 89-117 km/hr
- Very Severe Cyclonic Storm: 118-165 km/hr
- Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm: 166-220 km/hr
- Super cyclonic Storm: greater than 220 km/hr
Number of Cyclones are more in Bay of Bengal than Arabian Sea-Why?
The ocean temperatures of Bay of Bengal is more than that of Arabian Sea. Also, the hills in the western ghats are high enough to stop the cyclones strike the coasts.
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Month: Current Affairs - May, 2020