Lesson 16

How do Tropical Revolving

Storms Form?

We need to understand how tropical

revolving storms are created, their impacts
and know how people respond to them.
We should also take into account the effects
of global warming on such events.

What drives a Tropical

Storm?
Cold polar air
moves
towards the
warm
equator.

Hot tropical
air moves
towards the
cold poles.

The planet is not evenly heated.

At A the heating is more direct =
intense.
Whereas at B it is spread over a
larger surface area = less intense.

What causes wind?

This uneven heating causes air to
move around the planet, trying to
even out the temperature.
Air moving
around the
planet causes
our wind, which
generally
follows a known
pattern.

Tropical storms
form between
5and 20 North
& South of the
equator.
They need warm
water ~ above
27c hence their
location.
As the Earth rotates, this provides the spin
needed to start the tropical storm on its
journey across the Atlantic towards America.

17%

11%
8%

11%

33%

20%

Tropical revolving storms occur all around

the world, but are called different names.

Warm Oceans
The food of a tropical
storm is the warm moist
water found near the
equator. The air here is
under LOW pressure, which
means it can lift easily.
This lifting encourages the
air to cool and condense, as
it does latent heat is
released. This is the name
given to energy produced
when a substance changes
state ie vapour to a liquid.

Here is a check list

of what is needed
for a tropical
revolving storm
to grow.
Once the storm
has developed
it can grow 400
miles wide.
A storm can travel anywhere from 15 to 40mph

Here is a 3D
image of a
Tropical
revolving
storm. Notice
the lower
level winds
being drawn in
and spiralling
counter
clockwise.
The lines isobars get closer together,
indicating faster flowing air.

Launch the hyper link

How Hurricanes form

Tropical Storm / Hurricane Key

Facts

Hurricanes are located in the low-pressure belt near the equator as the
sun heats the oceans to a critical temperature of 27C.
The oceans heat up all through the summer making their warmest
temperatures in the Autumn (specific heat capacity); this is Hurricane
season in the Atlantic.

The hurricane starts as a tropical depression, gaining more and more

energy from the warm ocean as it crosses the Atlantic. The circulation of
the depression gets tighter (isobars are closer together) and the wind
speed increases into a tropical storm.
The wind speeds continue to increase, becoming a category 1 up to
category 5 for the most violent storm. As the hurricane makes landfall
damage is done by the winds and rain and an advancing storm surge,
which raise sea level by 5m+ in some cases.
The hurricane quickly looses its energy as it crosses the cooler land, as
the energy supply has been cut off. The hurricane dies.
Sometimes remnants of hurricanes are brought across back across the
Atlantic at the mid latitudes giving us very strong depressions in the UK.

How are they measured?

Although developed in the USA, the Saffir-Simpson
scale is used to grade tropical storm wind strength in
many parts of the world.

Category

Tropical storm
Tropical
depression
1
2
3
4

Wind
Speed
km/hr

Wind
Speed
Mph

0-62
63-117
119-153
154-177
178-209
210-249

Storm
Surge m
0
0-0.9

74-95
96-110
111-130
131-155

1.2-1.5
1.8-2.4
2.7-3.7
4.0-5.5

Problems with the Saffri Simpson?

Q Using wind speed and storm surge
levels what problems could you
encounter?

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml

A tropical storm has many

friends!
Other phenomena which can be just as damaging than the wind frequently
accompany tropical storms:

high seas - large waves of up to 15 metres high are caused by the strong
winds and are hazardous to shipping;
storm surge - a surge of water of up to several metres can cause extensive
flooding and damage in coastal regions;
heavy rain - the tropical cyclone can pick up two billion tons of moisture
per day and release it as rain. This also leads to extensive flooding - often
well inland from where the tropical revolving storm hit the coast;
tornadoes - tropical cyclones sometimes spawn many tornadoes as they hit
land which can cause small areas of extreme wind damage. These
phenomena can cause major destruction, especially when the tropical
cyclone's path takes it over land. However, a path over land also causes the
destruction of the tropical cyclone itself. As it moves over land, its energy
source is depleted and friction across the land surface distorts the air flow.
This leads to the eye filling with cloud and the tropical cyclone dies.

3D model of a Tropical
Storm

Create your own 3D

model remember to
add a key!

Homework
AQA A2 book Pg 60-63 Read and make notes
Visit these web sites and read around the topic what
else can you add to your notes about tropical
revolving storm formation?
Waugh Pg 235 & Nagle Pg 421+ has extra reading, (pay
particular attention to Places 30 for Stretch &
Challenge!)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/understand
ing/hurricane_cycle.shtml
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/tropicalcyclon
e/facts.html
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml