Tropical Cyclone - Tropical Cyclone Geography And Season, Structure And Behavior, Life History Of A Tropical Cyclone, The Tropical Cyclone On Land
storm winds cyclones systems
Tropical cyclones are large circulating storm systems consisting of multiple bands of intense showers and thunderstorms and extremely high winds. These storm systems develop over warm ocean waters in the tropical regions that lie within about 25° latitude of the equator. Tropical cyclones may begin as isolated thunderstorms. If conditions are right they grow and intensify to form the storm systems known as hurricanes in the Americas, typhoons in East Asia, willy-willy in Australia, cyclones in Australia and India, and baguios in the Philippines. A fully developed tropical cyclone is a circular complex of thunderstorms about 403 mi (650 km) in diameter and over 7.5 mi (12 km) high. Winds near the core of the cyclone can exceed 110 MPH (50 km/h). At the center of the storm is a region about 9-12.5 mi (15-20 km) across called the eye, where the winds are light and skies are often clear. After forming and reaching peak strength over tropical seas, tropical cyclones may blow inshore causing significant damage and loss of life. The storm destruction occurs by very high winds and forcing rapid rises in sea level that flood low lying coastal areas. Better forecasting and emergency planning has lowered the death tolls in recent years from these extremely powerful storms.
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Several ocean areas adjacent to the equator possess all the necessary conditions for forming tropical cyclones. These spots are: the West Indies/Caribbean Sea where most hurricanes develop between August and November; the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of Mexico with a peak hurricane season of June through October; the western Pacific/South China Sea where most typhoons, baguios, and cyclones fo…
In some ways tropical cyclones are similar to the low pressure systems that cause weather changes at higher latitudes in places like the United States and Europe. These systems are called extratropical cyclones and are marked with an "L" on weather maps. These weather systems are large masses of air circulating cyclonically (counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise i…
Several conditions are necessary to create a tropical cyclone. Warm sea surface temperatures, which reach a peak in late summer, are required to create and maintain the very warm, humid air mass in which tropical cyclones grow. This provides energy for storm
Overhead view of the eye of a tropical cyclone. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
development through the heat stored…
All of the cyclone development described thus far takes place at sea, but the entire cyclone also is blown along with the prevailing winds. Often this movement brings the storm toward land. As tropical cyclones approach land they begin affecting the coastal areas with sea swells, large waves caused by the storm's high winds. Swells often reach 33 ft (10 m) in height and can travel thousands…
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User Comments
almost 4 years ago
This is a good geographical description of a cyclone and the factors behind it.
But I'm afraid that there is a conversion error in this sentence.
"Winds near the core of the cyclone can exceed 110 MPH (50 km/h)."
Just pointing that out.
Liana