Biparjoy. Remal. Dana.
The moment a cyclone is given a name, weather bulletins become easier to follow, emergency alerts feel more immediate, and the storm suddenly becomes part of everyday conversation.
But who decided to call it Biparjoy? Why Remal? And what does Dana even mean?
Contrary to popular belief, these names are not picked after a cyclone forms, nor are they based on how destructive a storm is expected to be. In fact, every name is chosen years in advance through an international process that has one goal above all else: helping millions of people understand warnings quickly and without confusion.
Behind every cyclone name lies a carefully planned international system that has little to do with the storm’s intensity and everything to do with helping people understand that a dangerous weather system is approaching, and everyone needs to be talking about the same storm.
More than a label
Picture a busy monsoon season when several weather systems are active over the Indian Ocean. Imagine weather agencies issuing repeated warnings about “a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal” while another low-pressure system develops over the Arabian Sea.
The chances of confusion are obvious.
A short, distinctive name solves that problem.
Meteorologists, disaster response teams, television channels, radio stations and local administrations can all refer to the same cyclone without ambiguity. The public, too, finds it easier to remember a name than a technical weather description, especially when evacuation advisories and emergency alerts need to reach millions within hours.
The naming system is therefore not about giving storms an identity. It is about making communication faster, clearer and more effective when every hour matters.
Who decides the names?
Cyclones forming over the North Indian Ocean, which includes both the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea are named through an international mechanism coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) under the ESCAP/WMO Panel on Tropical Cyclones.
The panel brings together 13 countries that share the region and often face the impacts of these storms:
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Bangladesh
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India
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Iran
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Maldives
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Myanmar
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Oman
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Pakistan
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Qatar
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Saudi Arabia
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Sri Lanka
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Thailand
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United Arab Emirates
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Yemen
Each member country submits a list of names well in advance. These are compiled into a master list and arranged in a fixed sequence.
As cyclones develop over the region, the names are assigned one after another, regardless of which country’s coastline the storm eventually threatens.
That means a cyclone striking India may carry a name proposed by Bangladesh or Oman, while one affecting Sri Lanka could bear a name suggested by India.
The system reflects cooperation across national boundaries because tropical cyclones themselves do not recognise them.
When does a storm get its name?
Not every weather disturbance earns one.
A tropical system receives an official name only after it strengthens into a cyclonic storm, with sustained wind speeds between 62 and 88 kilometres per hour (34-47 knots).
Until then, weather agencies continue monitoring it as a depression or deep depression. Once the required intensity is reached, the next name on the predetermined list is assigned immediately.
The decision is based solely on the storm’s strength, not on where it formed, which country it may strike or how severe it is expected to become.
This standardised threshold ensures every meteorological agency across the region is referring to the same storm from the moment it reaches cyclone status.
The stories behind the names
Many cyclone names carry cultural, linguistic or geographical meaning.
Biparjoy, suggested by Bangladesh, means “disaster” or “calamity.”
Remal, proposed by Oman, comes from Arabic and means “sand.”
Dana, submitted by Qatar, refers to a large, precious pearl in Arabic.
The names are chosen to be short, easy to pronounce and familiar across languages. They are also screened to avoid political, religious or culturally sensitive references.
Cyclones were not always named this way
Before standardised naming became common, storms were often remembered by the places they struck, significant dates or even saints’ feast days.
In the late nineteenth century, Australian meteorologist Clement Wragge began assigning personal names to weather systems, an idea that gradually evolved into today’s international naming practice.
Different ocean basins now follow different conventions.
In the Atlantic Ocean, storms are named alphabetically using alternating male and female names. Particularly devastating hurricanes can have their names permanently retired so they are never used again.
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The North Indian Ocean works differently.
Rather than retiring names after destructive storms, member countries periodically submit fresh batches once the existing master list has been exhausted.
Although the naming systems vary from one region to another, they all follow a common principle established by the WMO: names should be brief, easy to pronounce, culturally appropriate and unique to their respective basin.
Why the system matters
It allows a fisherman listening to a radio bulletin, a family following updates on television and disaster officials coordinating across states to know they are all talking about the same storm.
The name itself does not predict destruction. It does not reveal where a cyclone will make landfall or how powerful it will become.
What it does carry is something equally important: a shared language for early warning.
The next cyclone over the Bay of Bengal or Arabian Sea may be called Shakti, Prabhanjan or another name already waiting on the international list.
Sources
‘Tropical cyclone naming’: by World Meteorological Organisation, Published on 24 November 2023
‘Here’s How Hurricane Names Are Really Chosen’: by Elizabeth Yuko, Published on 3 June 2026
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: thebetterindia.com
