Cyclone Fengal: What does the ‘landfall’ of a cyclone mean?

As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a tropical cyclone is said to have made landfall when the centre of the storm – or its eye – moves over the coast.

Crucially a landfall should not be confused with a ‘direct hit’, which refers to a situation where the core of high winds (or eyewall) comes ashore but the centre of the storm may remain offshore.

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What is the damage caused by a cyclone’s landfall?

The damage caused by the landfall will depend on the severity of the cyclone – marked by the speed of its winds. If the cyclonic storm is “very severe”, the impact may include extensive damage to kutcha houses, partial disruption of power and communication lines, minor disruption of rail and road traffic, potential threat from flying debris and flooding of escape routes.

How long does a landfall last?

Landfalls can last for a few hours, with their exact duration depending on the speed of the winds and the size of the storm system.
Cyclones lose their intensity once they move over land because of a sharp reduction of moisture supply and an increase in surface friction.

What is cyclones ?

Cyclones are rapid inward air circulation around a low-pressure area. The air circulates in an anticlockwise direction in the Northern hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern hemisphere.

Cyclones are usually accompanied by violent storms and bad weather.
The word Cyclone is derived from the Greek word Cyclos meaning the coils of a snake.
It was coined by Henry Peddington because the tropical storms in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea appear like coiled serpents of the sea.

Classification

There are two types of cyclones:

Tropical cyclones; and

Extra Tropical cyclones (also called Temperate cyclones or middle latitude cyclones or Frontal cyclones or Wave Cyclones).

The World Meteorological Organisation uses the term ‘Tropical Cyclone’ to cover weather systems in which winds exceed ‘Gale Force’ (minimum of 63 km per hour).

Tropical cyclones develop in the region between the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer. They are large-scale weather systems developing over tropical or subtropical waters, where they get organized into surface wind circulation.

Extra tropical cyclones occur in temperate zones and high latitude regions, though they are known to originate in the Polar Regions.

Naming of Cyclones:

The practice began in the Caribbean, naming storms after saints from the Roman Catholic calendar.

In 2002, World Meteorological Organization (WMO) began naming cyclones in the North Indian Ocean.
In the North Indian Ocean, a collaborative list of cyclone names was established by the Tropical Cyclone Regional Body (TCRB).
TCRB includes 13 countries namely Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Oman, Thailand, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Yemen.
Each country submits 13 name suggestions to a WMO panel for review and finalization.

Significance

Global standardization facilitates easier identification and tracking of cyclones for media and the public.

Guidelines to adopt names of cyclones:

The proposed name should be neutral to

(a) politics and political figures

(b) religious beliefs,

(d) gender

The name should be chosen in such a way that it does not hurt the sentiments of any group of the population over the globe
It should not be very rude and cruel
It should be short, easy to pronounce and should not be offensive to any member
The maximum length of the name will be 8 The proposed name should be provided with its pronunciation and voice-over
The names of tropical cyclones over the north Indian Ocean will not be repeated. Once used, it will cease to be used again.

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