How To Pronounce Cyclone Tauktae, Meaning Of The Name

Cyclone Tauktae has intensified into an extremely severe cyclonic storm. Mumbai witnessed gusty winds and rains today morning and the cyclone was heading towards Gujarat. The IMD has upgraded the warning to extremely heavy rainfall in Mumbai for the next few hours.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that, "It is expected to reach the Gujarat coast on the evening of May 17." According to IMD, the wind speed is expected to increase to 150 to 160 km per hour, gusting up to 175 kmph.

The cyclone has been given the name ‘Tauktae’ and it is pronounced as 'Tau’te' by Myanmar. The name was given by Myanmar which means vocal lizard, 'Gecko'. The cyclone names are given by countries on rotation basis in region.

The naming of cyclones is done by World Meteorological Organization/United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (WMO/ESCAP) Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC). The thirteen countries in the panel are India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Maldives, Oman, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. These countries name cyclones in the region. In 2020, a new list of names was released that had 169 names of cyclones, having 13 suggested names each from 13 countries.