Bhubaneswar: A deep depression in the Bay of Bengal is set to intensify into a cyclonic storm – Cyclone Mocha – over the southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining areas of the east-central Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea with all the Eastern states being put on alert. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a low-pressure area has already formed over the southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining South Andaman Sea on Monday.
According to the weather office, Cyclone Mocha is likely to intensify into a depression on May 9 and turn into a cyclone on May 10. The storm is expected to move towards the Bangladesh and Myanmar coasts around May 12.
The Cyclone Mocha (Mokha) – a name suggested by Yemen – was named after the Red Sea port city which is known to have introduced coffee to the world over 500 years ago.
Notably, Cyclones are named depending on the regional rules.
The system of naming cyclones was adopted by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and member countries of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission (ESCAP). According to the WMO, in the Atlantic and in the Southern Hemisphere (Indian Ocean and South Pacific), tropical cyclones receive names in alphabetical order, and women’s and men’s names are alternated, while in the Northern Indian Ocean, the names are listed alphabetically by country and are gender-neutral.
