A deep depression in Bay of Bengal has intensified into a tropical cyclone named Maarutha.
This cyclone is expected to hit Myanmar on 17 April 2017 and bring heavy rains in parts of that country.
Tropical Cyclone Maarutha is the first named storm of 2017 Northern Hemisphere tropical cyclone season.
A Cyclone represents a rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over tropical or subtropical waters and has closed low-level circulation.
Most large scale cyclonic circulations are centered on areas of low atmospheric pressure. Based on their latitude, the cyclones may be tropical cyclones or temperate cyclones (extra-tropical cyclones).
The tropical cyclones rotate anti-clockwise in the northern hemisphere and are classified into three types namely
- Tropical Depression (maximum sustained winds of 38 mph or lower)
- Tropical Storm (maximum sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph);
- Hurricane (maximum sustained winds of 74 mph) and major hurricane (maximum sustained winds of 111 mph).
Hurricanes are called typhoons in western North Pacific, while similar storms in the Indian Ocean and South Pacific Ocean are called cyclones.
Tropical Cyclones in Indian Ocean Tropical cyclones between east of the Horn of Africa and west of the Malay Peninsula are most common from April to December, with peaks in May and November in the Indian Ocean.
Vardah was the strongest cyclone of the 2016 North Indian Ocean cyclone season.
Other 2016 cyclones are Cyclonic Storm Roanu, Cyclonic Storm Kyant and Cyclonic Storm Nada.
Cyclone Maarutha is the first tropical cyclone of 2017 North Indian Ocean cyclone season.
It started forming under the influence of a persistent area of convection in South Bay of Bengal on April 13, 2017 and has been recently classified as a Cyclonic storm.
After giving heavy rainfall in Sri Lanka and Andaman & Nicobar Islands, it is expected to make a landfall in Myanmar.
