Cyclone Fengal-a cyclonic storm made landfall over Puducherry on November 30 evening.
About landfall
- The Cyclone has two important features, among others: the eye and the eyewall. The eye is the small centre around which the cyclone rotates.
- It consists of cold air descending from the cyclone’s top with warm air rising in a spiral around it.
- The eyewall consists of high thunderstorms that bring rain, lightning, and powerful winds. Landfall is the event of a tropical cyclone coming onto land after being over water.
- 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.
- 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.
- As per the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), because the strongest winds in a tropical cyclone are not located precisely at the centre, it is possible for a cyclone’s strongest winds to be experienced over land even if landfall does not occur.
- 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.
Naming of Cyclones
- There are six Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres (RSMCs) worldwide and five regional Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres, which are mandated for issuing advisories and naming of cyclonic storms.
- The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is one of the RSMCs and is tasked with giving a title to a cyclone that forms over the northern Indian Ocean when they have reached a maximum sustained surface wind speed of 62 kmph or more.
- Tropical Cyclone names are used in rotation and are not reused once assigned to a cyclone.
- The name ‘Fengal’ was proposed by Saudi Arabia and is a word rooted in Arabic. Cyclone Dana made landfall along Odisha coast in October 2024.
- Dana’s name was suggested by Qatar, which means generosity.
- Other Names: yclone Remal-Oman; Cyclone Asani-Sri Lanka; Cyclone Ockhi-Bangladesh; Cyclone Sitrang-Bangladesh; Cyclone Remal-Oman.
(Source: The Hindu and Indian Express)
