Cyclone Fani makes landfall in Odisha; here's why most cyclones hit India’s east coast

NEW DELHI: Cyclone Fani has made landfall in Puri coast, Odisha. Landfall process will continue till noon. On Sunday, the Cyclone Warning Division of the Meteorological department notified that Cyclone Fani (it’s been named by Bangladesh), inching closer to the coasts of north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh, is likely to intensify into a "severe cyclonic storm".

Last year, Cyclone Gaja had battered the Tamil Nadu coast, killing at least 20 people and causing widespread destruction.

LAND OF CYCLONES

As many as 26 of the 35 deadliest tropical cyclones in history have been Bay of Bengal storms. Bangladesh has seen the most casualties, accounting for over 40% of the world’s tropical cyclone-associated deaths in the past two centuries (India accounts for a quarter of the deaths). In India, Odisha has seen most number of cyclones (98 between 1891 and 2002) but Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have had the most casualties in recent times.

WHY EAST COAST?
More cyclones are formed in the Bay of Bengal than Arabian Sea due to wind patterns (that keep oceans cooler on the western side). Even among those formed along the western coast, many move towards Oman instead of hitting Indian shores. Storms formed on the eastern coast, however, are more intense and since states on that side have relatively flatter topography compared to the western coast they can’t deflect the winds.

CYCLONE SEASON
April to December is the cyclone season but over 65% of all cyclones occur in the last four months of the year.

STRENGTH OF CYCLONES
Cyclones are classified based on the wind speed around the low-pressure area. Wind speed of over 62 kmph is classified as a tropical cyclone and assigned a name. It becomes a severe cyclonic storm if the speed is between 89 and 118 kmph and a very severe cyclonic storm if the speed is between 119 and 221 kmph. Those with higher speeds are categorised as super cyclonic storms.

Meanwhile, pre-monsoon rainfall from March to April, a phenomenon critical to agriculture in some parts of the country, has recorded a 27% deficiency, according to the meteorological department.