NEW DELHI: As an additional disaster preparedness tool to support ground-level action ahead of cyclones, India meteorological department (IMD) has launched an interactive WebGIS-based platform that will serve as a decision support system (DSS), bringing critical cyclone warnings and marine weather information together in one place.The system will help users, including disaster management authorities, govt agencies and the general public, better understand potential hazards and their likely impacts. It aims to bridge the gap between weather forecasts and their practical application, enabling better preparedness, timely action and enhanced public safety during cyclones and other severe weather events.The launch took place during the bi-annual pre-cyclone exercise meeting for the post-monsoon season (Oct-Dec) under the chairmanship of Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director general of meteorology, IMD, last week. The DSS platform for the public isavailable on the websites of IMD and regional specialised meteorological centre (RSMC).“Through interactive maps and visualisations of cyclone tracks, intensity, winds, rainfall, storm surge and rainfall forecasts for river catchments, the platform helps users access relevant information and make informed decisions,” said the ministry of earth sciences (MoES) in a statement.IMD has taken a number of steps in recent years to continuously enhance the capabilities in monitoring, numerical modelling and forecasting of the hazards associated with cyclones, and demonstrated its capability to provide early warning for cyclones with high precision. It has, over the years, emerged as the best in the world for the accuracy of cyclone predictions, reporting zero error on the landfall point and timing.A cyclone is an intense vortex or a whirl in the atmosphere with very strong winds circulating around it in an anti-clockwise direction in the Northern Hemisphere and in a clockwise direction in the Southern hemisphere. The word “Cyclone” is derived from the greek word “Cyclos” meaning the coil of a snake. Tropical cyclones are also referred to as ‘Hurricanes’ over Atlantic Ocean, ‘Typhoons’ over Pacific Ocean, ‘Willy-Willies’ over Australian Seas and simply as ‘Cyclones’ over north Indian ocean.
Share your thoughts in the comments
Be respectful · TOI community guidelines
On an average, out of five cyclones developing over the north Indian ocean (NIO) comprising bay of Bengal and Arabian sea annually, about three to four of them make landfall causing loss of life and property. Low – lying coastal belts of West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are more prone to the impact of these systems.The number of deaths due to cyclones has, however, decreased significantly in the recent past, as a result of the improvement in the early warning capabilities of IMD.
