Wherever cyclone Ramal passed, there was heavy rainfallHundreds of villages and areas were submerged due to rain accompanied by stormWhy do storms bring strong winds and torrential rains?
Cyclone Ramal left a trail of destruction in West Bengal and Bangladesh. Heavy rain is falling from Bengal to Bangladesh. Coastal areas are submerged. Roads are submerged in water. Looking at the areas, it seems as if a river is flowing here. Before Cyclone Ramal hit the coastal areas of Bangladesh, its speed was 135 kilometers per hour. Wherever it passed and in the surrounding areas, heavy rain is being witnessed along with strong winds. Have you ever wondered how a cyclone brings so much rain and water with it?
Although homes were evacuated from the coastal areas of West Bengal and Bangladesh before Remal arrived. About 10 lakh people were evacuated from there but even after this the damage has been massive. Hundreds of trees were uprooted. At least seven people died due to ‘Remal’. Hundreds of villages were submerged.
The storm has now weakened and is moving towards Bangladesh. This storm was formed in the Bay of Bengal. Earlier, there was not so much rain and water with the storm but now it is not so.
If you remember, about 06 months ago in December 2023, Cyclone Michong brought devastation to entire South India including Chennai. The city of Chennai was completely submerged in the rain water of the cyclone. After all, what is it that makes cyclones dangerous? They bring devastation and create havoc in any large area by collecting a lot of water.
Here we will learn about cyclones. How are they formed? How do they move forward? How much is their power and how do they create tornadoes with wind and rain.
Situation after the storm at Kuwakata coastal site in Bangladesh. (Photo AP)
Question – How do cyclones bring heavy rains with them?
– Actually cyclones are formed in a situation of very low pressure at a place and in such a situation they start drawing air from a large area. When the air gathers in a low pressure center, it starts rising up. The air that gathers in it contains a large amount of moisture. These go up and turn into rain clouds and move with the storm. These clouds are in such a large number that they carry with them rain equal to the weight of hundreds of elephants. When the storm hits somewhere, then rain starts in that area with a tremendous storm. Since a storm draws air from a very large area, its effect is also up to a very large area.
Cyclonic rainfall occurs when warm moist air comes in contact with cold dry air. The air above the water heats up and rises, creating a low pressure area.
The earth keeps rotating on its axis like a top. Because of this, this wind starts rotating instead of coming in a straight direction and moves towards that place in a circular manner. This is called a cyclone.
Impact of cyclone Rimel. (AnyTV)
Question – Why is there often torrential rainfall along with a storm?
– When a storm hits the ground at a very high speed, the clouds are unable to handle themselves, so they start raining with a huge amount of water. The speed of this rain is also very fast, that is why there is usually torrential rain with a storm.
Question – Cyclones also bring with them many other dangers, what are they?
– The main characteristics of a cyclone are strong winds, abnormally high sea levels near the coast, submergence of low-lying areas and strong winds that destroy trees and houses along with water. In low-lying coastal areas, water enters and destroys settlements. It sweeps away anything that comes in its way, causing severe loss of life and property.
Cyclone winds can raise sea levels several metres above normal tide levels. This also poses a risk of coastal flooding, severe flooding, which is what we are seeing in Chennai and many parts of South India.
What is the eye of a storm (Photo AnyTV)
Question – Earlier storms did not bring so much rain with them but how has this started happening all over the world now?
– In recent years, storms have been occurring from America to Asia. Which are becoming destructive. A new analysis by Princeton researchers suggests that this trend is likely to continue with global warming. High moisture content in hot air and increasing wind speed of storms bring more rain-related devastation.
Question – Will future storms become more dangerous in terms of rainfall?
– Scientific studies say this. A study by the Environment Department of Princeton University (https://environment.princeton.edu/) says that due to the increasing moisture from the rising sea surface temperature, the intensity of rain in the storm will increase twice as fast as expected. Tropical storm winds will strengthen as the temperature increases. Studies show that storms with strong winds also lead to higher rainfall rates. In recent years, heavy rains accompanied by tropical cyclones have caused devastating floods in areas in the path of the storm. Especially in coastal cities.
Question – So is it true that when the sea water becomes hot due to global warming, then storms will become more frequent?
– This is absolutely true. Due to global warming, the sea water is getting warmer. The water of the Arabian Sea has warmed up by 1.2 centigrade since March. Due to global warming, the sea is turning into a hot pool. This is increasing the number of storms all over the world.
Question – What is the eye of a cyclone?
– Cyclone is a rapidly rotating wind, so its central point is always empty because the rotating wind moves around that point but does not reach that point. This is called the eye of the cyclone.
Question – When does a cyclone weaken?
– Cyclones are formed in the sea and then move from there. But when they hit the sea coast, they start weakening. The reason for this is the high pressure of air on the land. The direction of the cyclone is estimated but the path of the cyclone cannot be determined.
Question: When cyclones come, what can be the range of wind speeds?
– Cyclones are divided into five categories according to the speed of the wind. In category one, the wind speed is from 119 km per hour to 153 km per hour, in category two it is 154 to 177 km per hour. In category three it is 178 to 208 km per hour. In category four there are storms with a speed of 209 to 251 km per hour and in category five there are storms with a speed of 252 km per hour and more. In all these, they destroy whatever comes in their way. As the speed increases, their destructive capacity also increases.
Tags: cyclone update
FIRST PUBLISHED : May 27, 2024, 12:06 IST