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A N
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R R
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 NAMES
HURRICANES (Atlantic Ocean)
TROPICAL CYCLONES (Indian Ocean)
TYPHOONS (Western Pacific Ocean)
WILLY-WILLIES (Australia)
Severe tropical cyclones or
whirlwinds that take place over a
desert, kicking up lots of dust
 HURRICANES
Intense low pressure systems
which begin in tropical regions
Have high sustained winds
Over 74 miles (119 kilometers)
per hour
Deliver heavy rain and
devastating ocean waves
 HURRICANES
Certain conditions favour the development of hurricanes:
Pre-existing disturbance over open waters
Wide coverage of warm ocean temperatures of about
26.5oC
Little or no change in wind velocity in the upper
atmosphere
Sufficiently rapid cooling of the atmosphere with
altitude to produce unstable conditions
Minimum distance of 500 km from the equator where
the Coriolis force is established
Coriolis force needed to swing air around centre of low
pressure system
 HURRICANES
Generate off the coast of West
and Central North Africa
Move westward
With flow of the trade winds
Move toward Central America
and eastern United States
CAPE
VERDE
ISLANDS
 HURRICANES
Gain energy from warm water
Light winds aloft allow severe
thunderstorm development
Hurricanes increase in size and
strength until they reach land or
more northern latitudes
Weaken when they move over
land areas where the supply of
moisture is cut off
 STAGES IN THE
DEVELOPMENT OF A
HURRICANE
1) Tropical Disturbance
2) Tropical Depression
3) Tropical Storm
4) Hurricane
 TROPICAL DISTURBANCE
Cold air mass is located above an
organized cluster of tropical
thunderstorms
Unstable atmosphere results
Have only a slight wind circulation
Wind speeds are less than 20
knots/ 25 mph
This is a tropical wave
TROPICAL DISTURBANCE
Instability increases
Convection leads to strong
updrafts (red arrows)
Lift air and moisture upwards
TROPICAL DISTURBANCE
Large cumulonimbus clouds form
If moving mass maintains its
identity for more than 24 hours a
tropical disturbance is formed
Lack a closed circulation, which
is when there are winds in every
direction
 TROPICAL DEPRESSION
Organized circulation of wind in
center of thunderstorms
Winds are between 20 34 knots
(23 - 39 mph)
Winds stir up ocean moisture
Warm, moist air is forced upwards
and cools rapidy
Thunderstorms form and group
together
TROPICAL DEPRESSION
 TROPICAL STORM
Maximum sustained winds have
intensified to between 35-64
knots (39-73 mph)
System is better organized
Looks like a hurricane with a
circular shape
Storm is given a name
 TROPICAL STORM
Moist air moves upwards
Condensation occurs
Latent heat is released
Heated air expands and diverges
at upper levels
Pressure at the surface is
reduced
More air is absorbed into the
system
 TROPICAL STORM
Coriolis effect causes air to spin in
anticlockwise direction
Thunderstorm activity moves over the
closed circulation
Storm grows as it uses ocean moisture
as additional energy
Rising air near the center of the storm
condenses
Heavy rain falls
Lots of energy is released
HURRICANE
 HURRICANE
Surface pressures continue to drop
Sustained winds reach 64 knots (74
mph)
Definite rotation about eye
Winds spiral in tighter and tighter bands
as they approach the centre of the
storm
When winds can go no further, they spin
upward to form the eye wall clouds
HURRICANE
 HURRICANE
High pressure air above pushes most
of the rising air away from the centre
Some air drops back down the middle
Descending air creates calm, cloud-
free, low pressure eye of the hurricane
More air is pulled in, strengthening
the storm as the air rises to about
50,000 feet where most of it is
propelled outward, making room for
more rising air
 HURRICANE
Surface convergence (pink horizontal
arrows) causes rising motion around a
surface cyclone (L)
Air cools as it rises (red vertical arrows)
Condensation occurs
Latent heat is released
Heating causes air to expand
High pressure is created aloft
Force resulting from the established
pressure gradient causes air to diverge at
upper levels (red horizontal arrows)
 HURRICANE
Removal of air at upper levels
reduces pressure at the surface
Further reduction in surface
pressure leads to increasing
convergence (due to an
intensified pressure gradient)
Intensifies rising motion
Latent heat is released
Cycle continues
DEVELOPMENT OF A
HURRICANE
 PARTS OF A HURRICANE
The Eye
The Eye wall
The Rain bands/ feeder bands
 THE EYE
Located directly in the center of the
hurricane
Average diameter is 20-40 miles
across
Storm rotates around eye
Calm wind
Clear skies
Very low pressure
 THE EYE WALL
Surrounds the eye
Solid ring of showers and
thunderstorms
5-30 miles wide
Most damaging winds and
heaviest rains
 THE RAIN BANDS/
FEEDER BANDS
Series of dense bands of
thunderstorms that spiral
anticlockwise around eye wall
Give hurricane a pinwheel
appearance
Range in width from a few miles
to tens of miles and are 50 to
300 miles long
PARTS OF A HURRICANE
PARTS OF A HURRICANE
World cyclones: distribution, paths and regional
percentages
Tropical cyclone genesis areas and
related storm tracks
 HURRICANE WATCHES AND
WARNINGS
Modern technology provides forecasters
with the ability to accurately determine
the position and intensity of hurricanes
If it appears that a particular area is in
potential danger of being struck by a
hurricane, a "hurricane watch" is issued,
sometimes up to several days in advance
of the storm's predicted arrival
When there is a high probability that a
hurricane will strike an area within 24
hours, a "hurricane warning" is issued
 HURRICANE DAMAGE
Strong hurricane winds push waters
of ocean into shallow coastal areas
Creates storm surge
Prevent water brought by
thunderstorms from draining off
the land and result in coastal
flooding
High winds and heavy rainfall cause
damage and destruction
Buildings may collapse and crops
 HURRICANE DAMAGE
Three main factors influence the
impact of the hurricane:
Intensity of winds
Duration of storm
Population density and
intensity of development
 DETECTING HURRICANES

Satellites in space
Take pictures
Send messages back to earth
Predict when hurricanes will hit land
 HURRICANE NARGIS
HURRICANE KATRINA
HURRICANE DIANA
HURRICANE ANDREW
 DEVELOPMENT OF A HURRICANE
Stage 1: Trade winds become
unstable because of northward
movement of ITCZ
Stage 2: Warm, moist air is forced
upwards and cools rapidly
Stage 3: Earths rotation causes
spiral motion
Stage 4: Lower level winds spiral
inwards towards eye