As Cyclone Arnab intensifies over the Bay of Bengal, weather authorities and coastal states remain on high alert. Beyond the immediate tracking updates and emergency warnings lies a structured international protocol that determines how these major weather systems are named. Cyclones aren’t named at random, nor are their titles chosen based on where they are expected to make landfall.
In a tweet shared at 2:50 am on October 27, the climate-monitoring agency said, “It is very likely to continue to move west-northwestwards till evening of 27th October and thereafter, it is very likely to move northwestwards and cross Andhra Pradesh & Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to Yanam as a very severe cyclonic storm with the maximum sustained wind speed of 115-125 kmph gusting to 140 kmph by forenoon of 28th October, 2026. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) in a social media post stated that ‘Arnab’, pronounced as Ornab, has turned into a “very Severe Cyclonic Storm. Here is a look at the history, meaning, and global rules that shape tropical cyclone naming protocols.
With a name attached to a cyclone, it becomes easier to track it and discuss it, especially in cases when multiple storms become active simultaneously. Furthermore, naming a cyclone helps avoid confusion among the meteorologists and emergency agencies. Then they were identified by their latitude and longitude. However, they were lengthy and error-prone, which led to the need for short, distinctive names that were easier to remember and communicate. In the middle of the 20th century, the trend for using female names for storms emerged. Then, to create a more organised and efficient system, meteorologists in the North Atlantic decided to name cyclones using alphabetical lists. The relevant tropical cyclone regional body determines names for tropical cyclones in its annual/biennial session. A moniker is picked based on its familiarity to the people in each region. Tropical cyclones are not named after individuals. Factors considered while selecting a name: Tropical cyclones forming in the Northern Indian Ocean follow a strict, cyclical naming process. They are: Bangladesh, India , Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Each nation has submitted a designated list of names, which are used sequentially to identify emerging cyclones. The names of cyclones are used only once. However, the rules for selecting cyclone names from the lists differ across regions. WMO states, “In some places like the Atlantic and Southern Hemisphere, cyclones are named alphabetically, alternating men’s and women’s names. In other regions, names follow the alphabetical order of the countries.”
Eventually, the National Hurricane Center, a division of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), provided a list of names for Atlantic tropical cyclones in 1953. In 1979, male names were also included in the list. The 5 bodies are: The bodies select names from the pre-designated lists. A panel of 13 member countries contributes to this system. Here’s what the next 12 cyclones after Arnab will be named, along with the countries that submitted the monikers.
Naming “tropical cyclones has proven to be the fastest way to communicate warnings and raise public awareness and preparedness, according to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) . WMO said that earlier there was no specific method for selecting the names, and they were assigned haphazardly. The name “Arnab”, pronounced “Ornab”, was submitted by Bangladesh.
