World Meteorological Organisation lauds India Meteorological Department for its accurate prediction of Cyclone Amphan

The World Meteorological Organisation has lauded the India Meteorological Department for its “accurate prediction” of Cyclone Amphan.

In a letter dated June 2, addressed to IMD Director General Mrutunjay Mohapatra, WMO Secretary General E Manaenkova said the cyclone advisories were provided to the WMO and in particular Bangladesh which was also affected by the storm.

Amphan intensified into a super cyclonic storm. It hit the Sunderbans and West Bengal coast as an extremely severe cyclonic storm on May 20.

The Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre for Tropical Cyclones over the North Indian Ocean is based in Delhi. Through it, the IMD provides cyclone-related information to all the related countries in the North Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal.

“The accurate prediction of the genesis, track, intensity, landfall point and time as well as associated weather like storm surge, rainfall and wind by IMD/RSMC New Delhi with a lead period of more than three days has immensely helped in their early response and actions,” the letter said.

The WMO is part of the UN.

The services provided by the IMD have been showcased as an “excellent lesson” and best practices in tropical cyclone forecasting and warning services and response actions leading to sufficient preparedness for mitigation of losses and damages.

The advisories were also distributed to the WMO secretariat in Geneva and shared with the WMO regional offices in Singapore, Bahrain and the WMO coordination hub.

“WMO secretary-general used the information from the bulletins to communicate with the UN secretary-general about Amphan. Those bulletins were also well-utilised by the WMO officer in New York to daily brief the relevant entities of the United Nations at its headquarters on the status and potential impact of Cyclone Amphan,” the letter added.