Tropical revolving storms

 Objectives
 Conditions necessary for TRS development
 Weather signs of approach of TRS
 TRS pattern
 Areas and seasons of occurrence
 Behaviour and factors governing
movement
 Weather changes on approach of TRS
Tropical revolving storms
 Conditions necessary
 A large sea area with a surface
temperature of 260 C
 Away from the equator , latitude 50 and
above
 A region of small vertical wind sheer
 A pre-existing depression
Tropical revolving storms
 Caused when
 Latent heat released by condensation of moisture, when air
moves up, available in the tropics
 Unstable condition of atmosphere, extreme surface heating
 Evolution is only possible where wind shear has a small
value – away from the jet stream
 Eye initially appears in upper troposphere (a pre – existing
depression) – air descends – warms
 Causes a decrease in surface pressure – the TRS develops
 Continues to develop under favourable atmospheric and sea
surface conditions
 Normally decays over land due to lack of moisture, and in
high Lats because of decrease in surface temperature
Tropical revolving storms
 Weather signs
 Radio or storm warning
 Swell from the direction of storm
 Corrected barometric reading – 3mb below – expect – 5 mb
below – confirmed
 Slow fall (500 to 120nm)
 Marked fall (60 to 120 nm)
 Rapid fall (60 to 10nm)
 Appreciable change in strength and direction of wind
 Clear sky – preceding day
 Cirrus – altostratus – then cumulus clouds
 Rain squalls of increasing frequency and violence
Tropical revolving storms
Tropical revolving storms
Tropical revolving storms
 The Dangerous semicircle (DSC) – the vessel must
not run before the wind
 The dangerous quadrant – advance quadrant of the
DSC, wherein the TRS may recurve over the vessel
 Navigable semicircle – wherein the vessel may run
before the wind
 Eye (Vortex) – general area of calm
 Track – path over which the cyclone has passed
 Path – anticipated movement
 Trough – line of lowest pressure
 Vertex – point of re-curvature
Tropical revolving storms
 Seasons of occurrence
 Frequent in autumn (both hemispheres)
 In Bay of Bengal/Arabian sea – frequent in
late spring and autumn – because of the
monsoon
 The point of re-curvature also shifts –
dependent on sun’s declination
 Tropical revolving storms
 Areas of occurrence
 West Indies and North Atlantic (Hurricane)
 May to December – peak in September
 Frequencies vary between 5 to 14
 Coasts north of 150 N liable to experience these storms
 Arabian sea (Cyclone)
 Not very frequent
 Most originate over the Bay of Bengal
 Frequent in May/June and October/November
Tropical revolving storms
 Bay of Bengal (Cyclone)
 Occurs in May and September
 Normally originate in the Andaman sea
 Some could originate in South China sea and re-intensify
when they reach the bay
 Western North Pacific & South China sea
(Typhoon)
 Originate between Philipines and the Long of 1700 E
between Lats of 5 and 200N
 Mainly in September, July to December there is moderate
frequency
 If wind in S China sea or Philipines blows from SW, you
can expect a typhoon to the North
Tropical revolving storms
 Eastern North Pacific (Hurricane)
 Mainly from June to October
 Main areas between Lats of 10 to 400 N and Longs of 87
and 1400 W
 South West Indian Ocean (Cyclone)
 October to end of April
 Most frequent between Madagascar and the long of 700
E, and between 80 and 1000 E (eastern side)
 West of Long 800 E, mainly occur in Lats of 10 to 350 S
(western side)
Tropical revolving storms
 South East Indian Ocean (Cyclone)
 November to April
 Originate over the sea to the North of Australia
 Mostly confined to latitudes soth of 80 S
 South West Pacific (Cyclone)
 Main season – December to April
 Originate mainly between Lats of 10 & 200 S
between Longs of 150 and 1800
Tropical revolving storms
 Movement
 Generally east to west in lower Lats, steered by easterly
tropospheric air flow
 Normally recurves between Lats of 20 and 300 N & S of
equator (western edge of anticyclone)
 Speeds about 10 knots before recurving, could be stationary
for sometime after recurving, then could move at about 20
knots
 Tracks after recurving are Northerly and then in the North
Easterly direction, steered by the westerly tropospheric air
flow
 It may not recurve, sometimes – caused by position and
movement of the subtropical anticyclone
Questions
 Sketch the pattern of a TRS in the N &
S hemisphere
 Describe the factors that govern the
movement of the TRS
 Describe the weather signs of the
approach of a TRS
 List conditions required for a TRS to
develop