Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea
Also called: Arabian Sea cyclones · Topic: Air Masses, Fronts, Cyclones and Thunderstorms · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 6 "Natural Hazards and Disasters: Causes, Consequences and Management"
Meaning
India's peninsular shape exposes it to cyclones from two seas. The Bay of Bengal produces about four times as many cyclones as the Arabian Sea. The Bay's water is warmer. River water makes its surface fresher and layered, so the warm top stays warm. It also receives the remains of western Pacific typhoons. Its shallow, funnel-shaped head makes storm surges worse. The Arabian Sea is cooler because of upwelling (cold water rising from below) and dry air from Arabia. Even so, its cyclones are now rising in number and strength. In 2019 the Arabian Sea had more cyclones than the Bay. In both seas, cyclones peak before the monsoon (April–May) and after it (October–December).
Example
Bay storms mostly hit Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, for example Cyclone Fani at Puri (2019). On the west coast, Gujarat is the most exposed, for example Cyclone Biparjoy near Jakhau in Kachchh (2023).