India, May 23 -- Forecasting cyclone tracks, speed & accompanying rainfall becomes challenging due to data gaps and rapidly warming oceans

Globally, tropical cyclones - also known as hurricanes, typhoons or simply cyclones, depending on the ocean basin in which they form - have been predicted with great precision by national and regional weather agencies.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) has also gained formidable expertise in predicting these systems in the north Indian Ocean region. However, the unprecedented warming of the oceans and the lack of certain types of data have recently made it challenging to predict the track, wind speeds and accompanying rainfall for cyclones in all ocean basins and to provide early warnings for the...