No cyclones in October and November

No cyclones in October and November

Subject – Geography

Context – As many as seven low-pressure areas (LPA) have formed in the North Indian Ocean region since October 1, 2021 — but none of them have intensified into a cyclone.

Concept –

• October and November constitute the peak cyclone season for India, according to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
• No cyclone formation in the rest of November would mean a first-time anomaly in the last 31 years for October and November.
• If December also remains cyclone-free, it would be the first time since 1961 that the post-monsoon season would remain without a cyclone.
  • This has happened only five times since 1891: In 1900, 1911, 1953, 1954 and 1961.
• This is happening despite the fact that the La Nina phase of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon is currently prevailing.
  • The La Nina is the cooling phase of the ENSO and is generally favourable for cyclone / hurricane / typhoon formation all over the world, including in the North Indian Ocean region.
• The October floods in Kerala and Uttarakhand and the November floods in Tamil Nadu were caused partly by low-pressure areas. Along with this, the southwest monsoon season extended into late October.
• The extension of the monsoon rainfall may also be a reason for the lack of cyclones.
• So the low-pressure systems are only acting as self-inhibitors for strong cyclone growth.

To know about Cyclones, please refer August 2021 DPN.