Tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with strong winds, a
closed low-level atmospheric circulation, a low-pressure center, a spiral
arrangement of thunderstorms that cause heavy rain and squalls, and a
low-pressure center. A tropical cyclone is referred to as a hurricane (/hrkn,
-keen/), typhoon (/tafun/), tropical storm, cyclonic storm, tropical
depression, or simply cyclone depending on its strength and location.
[citation needed] A hurricane is a powerful tropical cyclone that occurs in
the Atlantic Ocean or northeastern Pacific Ocean, while a typhoon occurs
in the northwest Pacific Ocean. Similar storms are referred to as "tropical
cyclones" in the Indian Ocean and "severe cyclonic storms" in the South
Pacific, South Atlantic, and (rarely) South Atlantic.
The term "tropical" refers to the location from which these systems
originate, which almost exclusively originate over tropical seas. The term
"cyclone" refers to the cyclone's whirling winds around its central clear
eye, with counterclockwise winds in the Northern Hemisphere and
clockwise winds in the Southern Hemisphere. The Coriolis effect causes
circulation to flow in the opposite direction. Most of the time, tropical
cyclones form over large bodies of water that are relatively warm. They
get their energy from the water that evaporates from the ocean floor. When
moist air rises and cools to saturation, it eventually condenses into clouds
and rain. Unlike mid-latitude cyclonic storms like nor'easters and
European windstorms, which are primarily powered by horizontal
temperature contrasts, this energy source is different. The typical diameter
of a tropical cyclone is between 100 and 2,000 kilometers (62 and 1,243
miles). The Gulf Coast of North America, Australia, India, and Bangladesh
are all affected by tropical cyclones annually.
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with strong winds, a
closed low-level atmospheric circulation, a low-pressure center, a spiral
arrangement of thunderstorms that cause heavy rain and squalls, and a
low-pressure center. A tropical cyclone is referred to as a hurricane (/hrkn,
-keen/), typhoon (/tafun/), tropical storm, cyclonic storm, tropical
depression, or simply cyclone depending on its strength and location.
[citation needed] A hurricane is a powerful tropical cyclone that occurs in
the Atlantic Ocean or northeastern Pacific Ocean, while a typhoon occurs
in the northwest Pacific Ocean. Similar storms are referred to as "tropical
cyclones" in the Indian Ocean and "severe cyclonic storms" in the South
Pacific, South Atlantic, and (rarely) South Atlantic.
The term "tropical" refers to the location from which these systems
originate, which almost exclusively originate over tropical seas. The term
"cyclone" refers to the cyclone's whirling winds around its central clear
eye, with counterclockwise winds in the Northern Hemisphere and
clockwise winds in the Southern Hemisphere. The Coriolis effect causes
circulation to flow in the opposite direction. Most of the time, tropical
cyclones form over large bodies of water that are relatively warm. They
get their energy from the water that evaporates from the ocean floor. When
moist air rises and cools to saturation, it eventually condenses into clouds
and rain. Unlike mid-latitude cyclonic storms like nor'easters and
European windstorms, which are primarily powered by horizontal
temperature contrasts, this energy source is different. The typical diameter
of a tropical cyclone is between 100 and 2,000 kilometers (62 and 1,243
miles). The Gulf Coast of North America, Australia, India, and Bangladesh
are all affected by tropical cyclones annually.
