Is it not rare for cyclones to develop in the Arabian sea?

• There are fewer number of cyclones in the Arabian Sea than the Bay of Bengal, but it is not uncommon.
• In fact, June is one of the favourable months for the formation of cyclones in the Arabian Sea.
• Bay of Bengal is slightly warmer. Because of climate change, the Arabian Sea side is also getting warmer, and as a result, the number of cyclones in the Arabian Sea is showing an increasing trend in the recent trend.

Why there is a higher number of cyclones in Bay of Bengal than Arabian sea?

• A cyclone is a low-pressure system that forms over warm waters.
• Usually, a high temperature anywhere means the existence of low-pressure air, and a low temperature means high-pressure wind. This is one of the main reasons for greater number of cyclones in the Bay of Bengal compared to Arabian Sea.
• As warm air rises and cools, water vapour condenses to form clouds and this can lead to rains.
• Weather systems formed over the Bay of Bengal in the peak of summer in May are among the strongest in the North Indian Ocean region.
• Warm seas present ripe conditions for the development and strengthening of cyclones and fuel these systems over the water.

Global warming impact on Cyclones

• The impact of global warming on the monsoons are manifest in its onset, withdrawal, seasonal total rainfall, and extremes
• Global warming affects the cyclones over the Indian Ocean and the typhoons over the northwestern Pacific Ocean and making the atmosphere more hostile to the formation of tropical cyclones.
• Cyclone formations in the pre-monsoon cyclone season, closer to the monsoon onset, arguably due to the influence of a warmer Arctic Ocean on the winds over the Arabian Sea.
• The compounding effects from floods, storm surge, and terrestrial flooding (rivers) are projected to increase due to global warming.