Hurricanes and tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean have been named since 1953 when Miami’s National Hurricane Centre started the practice. This was then maintained and updated by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), a Geneva-based agency of the United Nations. The name is suggested by member nations by turn.
The countries of South Asia in West Asia chose not to name their cyclones until 2004 when the World Meteorological Organisation brought about agreement between eight countries in the region, namely, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Sri Lanka and Thailand. This group came up with a list of 64 names, eight from each country, for cyclones – Hikka and upcoming ones.
As of September 2019, 58 of the 64 names have already been used! The cyclone that recently formed was called Hikka (Maldives), and this will be followed by Kyarr (Myanmar), Maha (Oman), Bulbul (Pakistan), Pawan (Siri Lanka), and Amphan (Thailand).
Picture Credit : Google