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Hurricanes Powerpoint

Tropical cyclones form over warm ocean waters near the equator when low pressure systems strengthen and organize due to rising warm, moist air. They have strong rotating winds that spiral inward due to the Coriolis effect and form a characteristic doughnut shape with an eye at the center. Tropical cyclones can cause extensive damage from high winds, heavy rainfall and flooding, and storm surges that push water inland when they make landfall.

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Dondon Tayaban
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205 views17 pages

Hurricanes Powerpoint

Tropical cyclones form over warm ocean waters near the equator when low pressure systems strengthen and organize due to rising warm, moist air. They have strong rotating winds that spiral inward due to the Coriolis effect and form a characteristic doughnut shape with an eye at the center. Tropical cyclones can cause extensive damage from high winds, heavy rainfall and flooding, and storm surges that push water inland when they make landfall.

Uploaded by

Dondon Tayaban
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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• also called typhoons (Pacific),

willi willis (Australia),


tropical cyclones
• form at 15 to 20o N or S of equator – not at
equator (Coriolis too weak)
• must have warm water and humid air to
form
• low pressure
cells (tropical
depressions)
strengthen and
speed up
• Low pressure cell moves in
• Air warmed by warm ocean
• Water evaporates
• Warm air rises and spirals due to
Coriolis effect
• Forms column of warm air rising
• Since low pressure, more air
rises
• As warm, moist air cools, it
condenses and rains
• Keeps strengthening as long as
over warm water
• Doughnut shaped clouds with hole (eye) in
middle
• Can be few hundred miles diameter, 9 miles
high
• Eye – up to 20 miles wide
– Calm
– Warm air rises due to low pressure
– Cold, dry air sinking – prevents rain
• Warm air exits top and spirals out due to
Coriolis
• Northern hemisphere – spiral counter-
clockwise
• Southern hemisphere – spiral clockwise
• Blown across ocean by trade winds – affected
by Coriolis, so move north or south – move 3
to 25 miles/hour
– In Atlantic move up coast from Carribean
• Tropical Depression – winds < 38 mi/hr
• Tropical Storm – winds between 39 and
73 mi/hr
• Hurricane – winds > 74 mi/hr
• If upper level winds strong can sheer
off top of hurricane causing it to break
up
• If over cool water cannot maintain
itself
• If over land cannot maintain itself
• Atlantic Hurricane season is June to
November, but may occur other times
• Release huge amounts of energy
–More than U.S. energy needs for 1
year
• Up to 20 billion metric tons of rainfall
–> I inch per hour
• Can be extremely damaging
• Wind damage
• Rainfall = flooding
• Storm surge – especially if hits
land at high tide
– Ex: Bangladesh 1970 had a 40
foot storm surge

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