Classification of Cyclones

What is a tropical cyclone?

A tropical cyclone is an intense circular storm originating over warm tropical oceans and is characterized
by low atmospheric pressure, high winds, and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones are warm-core systems that
are most intense at the surface and that decrease in intensity with height.

Fact: Tropical cyclones are known by varying names in different parts of the world: In the North Atlantic
Ocean and eastern North Pacific they are called hurricanes; in the western North Pacific around the
Philippines, Japan, and China the storms are referred to as typhoons; and in the western South Pacific and
Indian Ocean they are variously referred to as severe tropical cyclones, tropical cyclones, or simply
cyclones

How do cyclones form?

Cyclones occur over warm tropical waters. The warm, moist air from warm waters near the equator rise
upward from the surface as vapour. The energy is stored within the vapour in moist air. As this air
ascends, 90% of the stored energy is released by condensation to form cumulus clouds. This rise of warm
air creates an area of low pressure below. The cooler air from the surrounding area with higher air
pressure pushes into the low pressure area. That cooler air heats up and rises, feeding further energy into
the forming storm and causing a decrease in pressure again. Thus a self-feeding heat engine is created

Factors necessary for cyclones:

 Strong homogenous winds in altitudes up to 15 km

 High humidity
 Surface temperature higher than 26°C in the 60 m upper layer

Low-pressure system forms

Cyclones derive their energy from the evaporation of warm surface water. In the eyewall, as the band of
clouds surrounding the eye of the cyclone is known, warm air rises. This is where maximum condensation
of water vapour occurs, creating massive thunderclouds and heavy rain.
From cyclone to hurricane

Air masses cool down and sink outside the eyewall and in the eye of the cyclone. Meanwhile, more heat
and moisture is taken on by cooler air at the sea surface, and this rises upwards, further fuelling the
atmospheric heat engine.

Formidable forces rage in the eyewall

Due to the earth’s rotation, the airflows at the centre of the cyclone are deflected, creating a vortex. The
eye of a weak cyclone can attain a diameter of above 200 km. With increasing intensity the eye contracts,
the eyewall, where the most damaging winds are found, is what constitutes the destructive element.

Trivia: Cyclones rely on the circulation of Earth, so they form away from the equator. The effect of Earth
spinning helps the whole system rotate.

How are they classified?

Meteorologists classify cyclones according to their maximum sustained winds. They based this on one-
minute or 10 minute average using the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center parameters. The four categories
are:
 1) Tropical depression: 45 – 62 kph
2) Tropical storm: 63 – 117 kph
3) Typhoon: 118 – 239 kph
4) Supertyphoon: 240 kph or higher

According to PAGASA’s classification system as of 01 May 2015, the classifications are:

Tropical Depression: a tropical cyclone with maximum sustained wind speeds of up to 61 kph or
33 nautical miles per hour (knots)

Tropical Storm: a tropical cyclone with maximum wind speeds of 62 to 88 kph or 34 -47 knots

Severe Tropical Storm: a tropical cyclone with maximum wind speeds of 89 to 117 kph or 48 to
63 knots

Typhoon: a tropical cyclone with maximum wind speeds of 118 to 220 kph or 64 to 120 knots

Super Typhoon: a tropical cyclone with maximum wind speeds exceeding 220 kph or 120 knots

Additional info: Maximum sustained winds refer to the internal wind speeds within the cyclone

Anatomy of a Typhoon:

 The eye:
o A central region of clear skies, warm temperatures, and low atmospheric pressure.
o Horizontal winds within the eye are light
o Its size varies and can range from below 10 km to over 200 km across, but most are about
30 to 60 km in diameter
o There is a weak sinking motion as air is pulled into the eyewall at the surface
o As the air subsides, it compresses slightly and warms, so that the temperature in the eye is
5.5 °C than other regions in the storm
o There is rapid variation in pressure across the storm, with most of the variation occurring
near the center

Trivia: The eye is the calmest part of the storm

 The eyewall:
o Refers to the band of clouds that surround the eye of a typhoon.
o The most dangerous and destructive part of a cyclone
o Winds are strongest, rains are heaviest in this region
o The rapid variation near the center of the storm results in a large pressure gradient force,
which is responsible for the strong winds present in the eyewall
 Inner rainbands:
o Main spiral bands of a typhoon
 o Winds move toward the center
o Moderate intermittent rains and winds of 63 to 117 kph
 Outer rainbands:
o Outer spiral bands of a typhoon.
o Scattered and move inward
o Rainfall may be light to moderate
o Wind speeds are up to 62 kph

Energy of a Typhoon:

 Typhoons have more energy than a typical 20 kiloton atomic bomb (Fat Man, the bomb dropped
on Nagasaki, was around 21 kilotons by comparison)
 A small typhoon carrying winds of 120 kph has an energy equivalent of almost 500 20 kiloton
atomic bombs.
 Typhoons release about 20 billion tons of water.
 Typhoons release more energy but are not as powerful as atomic bombs
o Typhoons release their energies throughout a longer period of time
o Atomic bombs release all their energies in a matter of seconds

Fact: an average-sized typhoon will get an energy supply in one day equivalent to the energy
release by 40,000 hydrogen bombs.

How does climate change affect the strength of cyclones?

Climate change will likely affect tropical cyclones in two ways. First, the formation of tropical
cyclones most readily occurs over warm ocean surfaces and when the vertical temperature
gradient through the atmosphere is strong. As the earth’s climate gets warmer, the difference
between the temperature near the surface of the Earth and the temperature higher up in the
atmosphere will decrease. As this temperature gradient decreases, we can expect fewer storms.
Second, the increasing temperature of oceans will increase the intensity of cyclones. This is
because cyclones draw energy from ocean surfaces. As more energy (heat) is stored in the waters,
there is a larger source of energy for the cyclone to draw on

In summary, the frequency of cyclones will decrease but their intensity will increase. Knowing
this, a statistically significant increase in cyclone intensity has been observed in the North
Atlantic region since the 1970s. However, for most parts of the world, the trends in cyclone
intensity and frequency are difficult to discern due to a lack of long-term and consistent
observational data. Additionally, according to Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology it is difficult to
sort out natural trends, such as those caused by El Nino events, from the effects of global
warming.