Cyclone Mocha: Facts for UPSC 2023

Context: Cyclone Mocha hit the coastline of Bangladesh and Myanmar

What is a cyclone?:

• Cyclones are caused by atmospheric disturbances around a low-pressure area distinguished by swift and often disruptive air circulation.
• The formation of cyclones takes place in low-pressure areas.
  • Ample amount of warm temperature at the surface of the sea.
  • Instability in the atmosphere.
  • How the Coriolis force is impacting the area so that a low-pressure area can be created.
  • When the humidity is high in the lower to middle levels of the troposphere.
  • Disturbance in the pre-existing low-level area.
  • When the vertical wind shear is low.

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Mocha cyclone: 

• • According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), wind speeds of MOCHA cyclone could be as high as 210 kilometres per hour at the time of Cyclone Mocha’s landfall.

• The storm will be equivalent to a category 4 hurricane. 

Image: mocha cyclone pathway

                                             Source: imd

• Bangladesh and Myanmar are severely hit by this cyclone. 

• Cyclone Mocha made landfall in Myanmar’s Rakhine state near Sittwe township with winds of up to 209 kilometres per hour,

• The storm previously passed over Bangladesh’s Saint Martin’s Island, causing damage and injuries, but turned away from the country’s shores before landfall.

• India’s Meteorological Department observed that Mocha had intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm and warned fishermen and trawlers against sailing far into the Bay

Naming of cyclones: 

• • The naming of the cyclones started in September 2004 when the member countries proposed different names.
  • In 2000, the twenty-seventh session of the WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC) decided to name tropical cyclones in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.
    • The panel has 13 member countries including India, Bangladesh, Iran, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Yemen, Sri Lanka, Maldives, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, Qatar.
  • Yemen suggested the name ‘Mocha’, which is supposed to be pronounced as Mokha. The cyclone has been named after a Red Sea port city known for its coffee production.

• The next name in line is “Biporjoy” suggested by Bangladesh.

Why are cyclones named?

• It helps the scientific community, media, disaster managers, and common people to identify the cyclone, create awareness about its development, remove confusion if another tropical cyclone is developed in the region, and rapidly and effectively disseminate warnings to a wider audience.

To know more about Cyclones in general visit the related links given below: