BharatNotes Cyclone
nounUsage in a UPSC answer
As coastal cyclones grow more frequent and ferocious under a warming climate, India's disaster-management apparatus must pivot from reactive relief to anticipatory resilience, embedding early-warning systems and cyclone-resistant infrastructure into the developmental fabric of its eastern seaboard.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
cyclonic (adj), cyclonically (adv), anticyclone (n), anticyclonic (adj), cyclogenesis (n)
Root
Coined 1848 by H. Piddington from Greek kyklos = circle, wheel; cf. kyklōma = coil
Etymology
Coined by British meteorologist Henry Piddington in the 1840s, derived from Greek kyklos ("circle") or kyklōma ("wheel, coil of a snake"); first published use dates to 1848.
Memory Hook
CYCLE + -one: a cyclone makes winds CYCLE in a giant circle, just as its Greek root kyklos means 'circle'.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
A system of winds circulating around a centre of low pressure, anticlockwise in the northern hemisphere. The distinction that carries marks is between tropical and temperate cyclones. Tropical cyclones form over seas warmer than roughly 26 to 27 degrees Celsius, draw their energy from the latent heat released as water vapour condenses, have no fronts, are compact and violent with a calm eye, and decay quickly once they cross land and lose their moisture source. Temperate or extratropical cyclones form along the polar front where contrasting air masses meet, draw energy from that temperature contrast, possess distinct warm and cold fronts, and are larger but less intense. India's western disturbances are temperate cyclones arriving from the Mediterranean that bring winter rain to the north-west. Cyclones over the north Indian Ocean are named by RSMC New Delhi, operated by the IMD, from a list contributed by the 13 member countries of the WMO and ESCAP panel.
Don’t Confuse It With
A cyclone circulates around low pressure and brings disturbed weather, while an anticyclone circulates around high pressure in the opposite sense and brings settled, clear conditions. Hurricane, typhoon and cyclone name the same phenomenon in different ocean basins, respectively the Atlantic and eastern Pacific, the north-western Pacific, and the Indian Ocean. A tornado is far smaller, shorter-lived and land-based, and is not a cyclone in this sense. Storm surge, the wind-driven rise of sea level at landfall, causes most cyclone deaths rather than the wind itself.
Hindi Meaning
चक्रवात (chakravāt); प्रतिचक्रवात for anticyclone and तूफानी लहर for storm surge.
Common Questions
- Who names cyclones over the north Indian Ocean?
- RSMC New Delhi, operated by the India Meteorological Department, using a list to which each of the 13 member countries of the WMO and ESCAP panel contributes names.
- What is the difference between a tropical and a temperate cyclone?
- A tropical cyclone forms over warm seas, has no fronts and draws energy from condensation, while a temperate cyclone forms along the polar front, has distinct warm and cold fronts and draws energy from contrasting air masses.
Seen in UPSC Question Papers
- Prelims 2025 — Indian Geography
- Prelims 2018 — Disaster Management
- Mains 2022 · GS1 · 10 marks — Geography
- Mains 2013 · GS1 · 5 marks — Geography
Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Cyclone” — proof this word earns its place on your list.
Tip: press Alt+S to hear pronunciation
