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The name of the current severe cyclonic storm Montha (Mon-tha) has been suggested by Thailand, one of the 13 member countries of the Regional Special Meteorological Centre (RSMC) managed by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in New Delhi.
In Thai, Montha means fragrant flower or beautiful flower, and it is part of the revised naming list approved in 2020 by the IMD-RSMC. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has six such RSMCs.
The IMD managed RSMC is responsible for naming cyclones in the northern Indian Ocean region that consists of Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. The IMD-RSMC’s 13 member countries include India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh among others, according to Cyclone Warning Centre-Visakhapatnam senior meteorologist S.V.J. Kumar.
“The idea behind naming cyclones during weather warnings and relief operations is to identify them easily, alert them to a large audience and talk about them for references. Also, it helps us to archive its data in our records with the name. Naming started in the IMD-RSMC region since September 2004. The IMD announces the names once the wind speed of the cyclone reaches 65 kmh,” Mr. Kumar told The Hindu on October 28, 2025 (Tuesday).
Mr. Kumar further said naming the cyclone helps in avoiding confusion when multiple cyclones are active over Bay of Bengal or the Arabian Sea, and ensures quick, clear and consistent communication. “Names should not be political, religious, cultural and gender-related and should not insult or offend any community across the world,” he said while adding that a cyclone name once used should not be repeated.
The naming is based on a rotation of the sequential list of names. The next name of the cyclone after Montha will be Senyar, as provided by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
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