Cyclone Amphan, pronounced as 'um-pun', is the first cyclonic storm arising in the Indian Ocean region in 2020. The cyclonic storm turned into a super cyclone on the morning of May 18, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its latest forecast. It is likely to intensify into an extremely severe cyclonic storm on May 19 with strong wind and rainfall in Odisha and West Bengal. Amphan is the name that has been given by Thailand. The name 'Amphan' is the last name from the original naming list published in 2004, while Nisarga will be the first name from the new naming list published by the IMD in 2020. Cyclone Amphan Forecast and Tracker: Severe Cyclonic Storm to Turn Worse by May 20, Check Day-Wise Movement Till Landfall.

Know How Cyclone Amphan Got Its Name and From Where

In India, the procedure of assigning names to the storms arising in the Indian Ocean began in 2000, but the actual process of naming cyclones began in 2004 when 8 countries in the Indian subcontinent listed 64 names for future storms. The Indian Meteorological Department had given the name of the first tropical cyclone- Onil, in 2004. The name was given by Bangladesh. Eight countries including Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand put together 64 names, giving eight names each.

Whenever there is a cyclonic storm, the names are assigned sequentially – the last one being ‘Fani’, a name contributed by Bangladesh. There was only one name- Amphan in the last list which was not used. In April 2020, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had released a new list of names of tropical cyclones over the north Indian Ocean. Amphan Cyclone Close to Paradip in Odisha, Vulnerable Districts Put on Alert, Directed to Keep Flood Shelters Ready.

The new detailed list includes the cyclone names that would originate in the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. The list comprises names of 13 cyclones each for the 13 member countries,  taking the total number of cyclone names to 169. The names from India that have been placed in the list include Gati, Tej, Murasu, Aag, Vyom, Jhar, Probaho, Neer, Prabhanjan, Ghurni, Ambud, Jaladhi and Vega.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 18, 2020 04:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).