What exactly is Cyclone Tauktae? and how are cyclones named

Cyclone Tauktae is expected to hit the Gujarat coast on May 18, the peculiarity of its name is garnering huge attention. The name Tauktae has been suggested by Myanmar which means a vocal lizard in the Burmese language.

Cyclone Tauktae is likely to intensify further into a "very severe cyclonic storm" and is expected to cross the Gujarat coast between Porbandar and Naliya on Tuesday afternoon

This is the first cyclonic storm this year as India fights a deadly second wave of COVID-19, which has led to a surge in the country's caseload and death count.

The naming of the cyclones is done by the World Meteorological Organisation/United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (WMO/ESCAP) Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC).

The panel includes 13 countries - India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Maldives, Oman, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. These 13 countries name the cyclones in the region.

In 2004, the group, which comprised eight countries then, had finalised a list of 64 names — eight names from each country. Amphan, the cyclone that hit India last year in May, was the last name on that list.

Nisarga, another cyclone that originated in the Arabian Sea last year, was the first name from the fresh list. It was named by Bangladesh.

In 2018, the WMO/ESCAP expanded the list to include five more countries. Last year, a new list was released that has 169 names of cyclones, a compilation of 13 suggestions each from 13 countries.

Naming helps the scientific community, experts, disaster management teams, and the general public to identify each cyclone.

It removes confusion if two or more cyclones are occurring simultaneously over the region. It allows to disseminate warnings effectively to a much wider audience and increases community preparedness. Naming also helps in future reference when a past cyclone needs to be mentioned or discussed.