Cyclone Hamoon causes heavy rain in many states of Northeast India: IMD

On October 25, 2023, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a warning regarding the Hamoon cyclonic storm, saying that 'Hamoon' has turned into a severe cyclonic storm. There is every possibility of Hamoon hitting the Bangladesh coast and reaching the north-eastern states of India on 25 October 2023.

• The Meteorological Department has issued a warning for those living in coastal areas. Also, IMD has issued a warning of heavy rain in five states including Meghalaya, Assam and West Bengal.
• In an update on Cyclone Hamoon, the IMD said the storm is likely to move north-east and weaken into a deep depression within the next six hours.

Warning for coastal areas of Bangladesh:

• Cyclone Hamoon, which is blowing with wind speed of 100 km per hour in the coastal areas of Bangladesh, is expected to weaken.
• Anticipating the impact of Cyclone Hamoon, coastal districts of Bangladesh have shifted people to safe shelters. As a precautionary measure, instructions have also been issued to suspend cargo handling at Chattogram port and stop transportation to southern Bangladesh.

Alert also issued in northeastern states of India:

• A change in weather has been observed in the northeastern states for the last two days as the cyclone moved through its path.
• IMD has predicted heavy rain in many northeastern states including Mizoram, Tripura. Heavy to very heavy rain has been predicted in Tripura on 25 October.
• The intensity of rainfall is expected to reduce by October 26. During this period, there is a possibility of light to moderate rainfall at some places in the entire region.

Areas affected by Cyclone Hamoon:

• According to the Meteorological Department, the areas affected by Cyclone Hamoon are mainly the northern part of the Bay of Bengal and the coast of Odisha, West Bengal, Bangladesh and northern Myanmar.

Naming of Cyclone Hamoon:

• Iran has named the cyclone 'Hamoon' formed in the Bay of Bengal. ‘Hamoon’ is a Persian word which mainly refers to inland lands, deserts, swamps etc.

Cyclone:

• Cyclones are mainly called strong storms of hot winds around low atmospheric pressure. The direction of rotation of cyclonic storms is different in both hemispheres of the Earth.
• In the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth, these cyclones move in an anti-clockwise direction while in the Southern Hemisphere, they move in a clockwise direction.
• In the Northern Hemisphere it is known by the names Hurricane, Typhoon, Cyclone etc.