‘Amphan’ is a tropical cyclone named by Thailand.
Pronounced as Um-pun, meaning sky, it is included in the category 5 of the Saffir-Simpson wind scale with a speed of 157 miles per hour or more.
Formed as a depression in the Bay of Bengal,it later developed into a Super Cyclone.
It is catastrophic in nature and caused severe damage in the states of West Bengal, Odisha, and Bangladesh in May 2020.
It is the fourth costliest cyclone that caused damage worth USD 13 million in India.
IMD has labeled Amphan as a Super Cyclone. This is the third super cyclone in the North Indian Ocean region after Cyclone Kyarr in 2019 and Cyclone Gonu in 2007.
Tropical Cyclones
- Tropical cyclones occur when the warm air above the ocean rises, forming a group of storms that rotates due to Coriolis force.
Super Cyclones
- Super Cyclones are tropical cyclones with a wind speed above 220 km/h. They are formed by the spiral arrangement of thunderstorm rains and cause multiple hazards like damage to physical properties and flooding.
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