Cyclone

Polar low over the Barents Sea on February 27, 1987 In meteorology, a cyclone is an area of close , circular flui motion rotating in the same irection as the !arth"1#"2#$ %his is usually characteri&e by inwar s'iraling win s that rotate counter cloc(wise in the )orthern *emis'here an cloc(wise in the Southern *emis'here of the !arth$ +arge,scale cyclonic circulations are almost always centre on areas of low atmos'heric 'ressure"-#".#$ %he largest low,'ressure systems are col ,core 'olar cyclones an e/tratro'ical cyclones which lie on the syno'tic scale$ 0arm,core cyclones such as tro'ical cyclones, mesocyclones, an 'olar lows lie within the smaller mesoscale$ Subtro'ical cyclones are of interme iate si&e$"1#"2# 3yclones have also been seen on other 'lanets outsi e of the !arth, such as 4ars an )e'tune$"7#"8# 3yclogenesis escribes the 'rocess of cyclone formation an intensification "9#$ !/tratro'ical cyclones form as waves in large regions of enhance mi latitu e tem'erature contrasts calle baroclinic &ones$ %hese &ones contract to form weather fronts as the cyclonic circulation closes an intensifies$ +ater in their life cycle, cyclones occlu e as col core systems$ 5 cyclone6s trac( is gui e over the course of its 2 to 2 ay life cycle by the steering flow of the cancer or subtro'ical 7etstream$ 0eather fronts se'arate two masses of air of ifferent ensities an are associate with the most 'rominent meteorological 'henomena$ 5ir masses se'arate by a front may iffer in tem'erature or humi ity$ Strong col fronts ty'ically feature narrow ban s of thun erstorms an severe weather, an may on occasion be 'rece e by s8uall lines or ry lines$ %hey form west of the circulation center an generally move from west to east$ 0arm fronts form east of the cyclone center an are usually 'rece e by stratiform 'reci'itation an fog$ %hey move 'olewar ahea of the cyclone 'ath$ 9cclu e fronts form late in the cyclone life cycle near the enter of the cyclone an often wra' aroun the storm center$ %ro'ical cyclogenesis escribes the 'rocess of evelo'ment of tro'ical cyclones$ %ro'ical cyclones form ue to latent heat riven by significant thun erstorm activity, an are warm core$"1:# 3yclones can transition between e/tratro'ical, subtro'ical, an tro'ical 'hases un er the right con itions$ 4esocyclones form as warm core cyclones over lan , an can lea to torna o formation$"11# 0aters'outs can also form from mesocyclones, but more often evelo' from environments of high instability an low vertical win shear$"12# Structure %here are a number of structural characteristics common to all cyclones$ 5s they are low 'ressure areas, their center is the area of lowest atmos'heric 'ressure in the region, often (nown in mature tro'ical cyclones as the eye$"1-# )ear the center, the 'ressure gra ient force ;from the 'ressure in the center of the

cyclone com'are to the 'ressure outsi e the cyclone< an the 3oriolis force must be in an a''ro/imate balance, or the cyclone woul colla'se on itself as a result of the ifference in 'ressure$"1.# %he win flow aroun a large cyclone is countercloc(wise in the northern hemis'here an cloc(wise in the southern hemis'here as a result of the 3oriolis effect$"11# ;5n anticyclone, on the other han , rotates cloc(wise in the northern hemis'here, an countercloc(wise in the southern hemis'here$< [edit] Formation

%he initial e/tratro'ical low 'ressure area forms at the location of the re ot on the image$ It is usually 'er'en icular ;at a right angle to< the leaf,li(e clou formation seen on satellite uring the early stage of cyclogenesis$ %he location of the a/is of the u''er level 7et stream is in light blue$ 4ain articles= 3yclogenesis an %ro'ical cyclogenesis 3yclogenesis is the evelo'ment or strengthening of cyclonic circulation in the atmos'here ;a low 'ressure area<$"9# 3yclogenesis is an umbrella term for several ifferent 'rocesses, all of which result in the evelo'ment of some sort of cyclone$ It can occur at various scales, from the microscale to the syno'tic scale$ !/tratro'ical cyclones form as waves along weather fronts before occlu ing later in their life cycle as col core cyclones$ %ro'ical cyclones form ue to latent heat riven by significant thun erstorm activity, an are warm core$"1:# 4esocyclones form as warm core cyclones over lan , an can lea to torna o formation$"11# 0aters'outs can also form from mesocyclones, but more often evelo' from environments of high instability an low vertical win shear$"12# 3yclogenesis is the o''osite of cyclolysis, an has an anticyclonic ;high 'ressure system< e8uivalent which eals with the formation of high 'ressure areas>5nticyclogenesis$"12# %he surface low has a variety of ways of forming$ %o'ogra'hy can force a surface low when ense low, level high 'ressure system ri ges in east of a north,south mountain barrier$"17# 4esoscale convective systems can s'awn surface lows which are initially warm core$"18# %he isturbance can grow into a wave, li(e formation along the front an the low will be 'ositione at the crest$ 5roun the low, flow will become cyclonic, by efinition$ %his rotational flow will 'ush 'olar air e8uatorwar west of the low via its trailing col front, an warmer air with 'ush 'olewar low via the warm front$ ?sually the col front will move at a 8uic(er 'ace than the warm front an @catch u'A with it ue to the slow erosion of higher ensity airmass locate out ahea of the cyclone an the higher ensity airmass swee'ing in behin the cyclone, usually resulting in a narrowing warm sector$"19# 5t this 'oint an occlu e front forms where the warm air mass is 'ushe u'war s into a trough of warm air aloft, which is also (nown as a trowal$"2:#

%ro'ical cyclones form when the energy release by the con ensation of moisture in rising air causes a 'ositive fee bac( loo' over warm ocean waters$"21# %ro'ical cyclogenesis is the technical term escribing the evelo'ment an strengthening of a tro'ical cyclone in the atmos'here$"22# %he mechanisms through which tro'ical cyclogenesis occurs are istinctly ifferent from those through which mi ,latitu e cyclogenesis occurs$ %ro'ical cyclogenesis involves the evelo'ment of a warm,core cyclone, ue to significant convection in a favorable atmos'heric environment$ %here are si/ main re8uirements for tro'ical cyclogenesis= sufficiently warm sea surface tem'eratures, atmos'heric instability, high humi ity in the lower to mi le levels of the tro'os'here, enough 3oriolis force to evelo' a low 'ressure center, a 'ree/isting low level focus or isturbance, an low vertical win shear$"2-# 5n average of 82 tro'ical cyclones of tro'ical storm intensity form annually worl wi e, with .7 reaching hurricaneBty'hoon strength, an 2: becoming intense tro'ical cyclones ;at least 3ategory - intensity on the Saffir,Sim'son *urricane Scale<$"2.# 4esocyclones are believe to form when strong changes of win s'ee an Bor irection with height ;Cwin shearC< sets 'arts of the lower 'art of the atmos'here s'inning in invisible tube,li(e rolls$ %he convective u' raft of a thun erstorm is then thought to raw u' this s'inning air, tilting the rolls6 orientation u'war ;from 'arallel to the groun to 'er'en icular< an causing the entire u' raft to rotate as a vertical column$ 4esocyclones are normally relatively locali&e = they lie between the syno'tic scale ;hun re s of (ilometers< an microscale ;hun re s of meters<$ Da ar imagery is use to i entify these features$"21# %he eye of the storm is usually calm an collecte $ [edit] Types %here are si/ main ty'es of cyclones= Polar cyclones, Polar lows, !/tratro'ical cyclones, Subtro'ical cyclones, %ro'ical cyclones, an 4esocyclones [edit] Polar cyclone 4ain article= Polar cyclone 5 polar, sub-polar, or Arctic cyclone ;also (nown as a polar vortex<"22# is a vast area of low 'ressure which strengthens in the winter an wea(ens in the summer$"27# 5 'olar cyclone is a low 'ressure weather system, usually s'anning 1,::: (ilometres ;22: mi< to 2,::: (ilometres ;1,2:: mi<, in which the air circulates in a countercloc(wise irection in the northern hemis'here, an a cloc(wise irection in the southern hemis'here$ In the )orthern *emis'here, the 'olar cyclone has two centers on average$ 9ne center lies near Baffin Islan an the other over northeast Siberia$"22# In the southern hemis'here, it ten s to be locate near the e ge of the Doss ice shelf near 12: west longitu e$"28# 0hen the 'olar vorte/ is strong, westerly flow escen s to the !arth6s surface$ 0hen the 'olar cyclone is wea(, significant col outbrea(s occur$"29# [edit] Polar low 4ain article= Polar low 5 polar low is a small,scale, short,live atmos'heric low 'ressure system ; e'ression< that is foun over the ocean areas 'olewar of the main 'olar front in both the )orthern an Southern *emis'heres$ %he systems usually have a hori&ontal length scale of less than 1,::: (ilometres ;22: mi< an e/ist for no more than a cou'le of ays$ %hey are 'art of the larger class of mesoscale weather systems$ Polar lows can be ifficult to etect using conventional weather re'orts an are a ha&ar to high,latitu e o'erations, such as shi''ing an gas an oil 'latforms$ Polar lows have been referre to by many other terms, such as 'olar mesoscale vorte/, 5rctic hurricane, 5rctic low, an col air e'ression$ %o ay the term is usually reserve for the more vigorous systems that have near,surface win s of at least 17 mBs$"-:#

[edit] Extratropical

5 fictitious syno'tic chart of an e/tratro'ical cyclone affecting the ?E an Irelan $ %he blue arrows between isobars in icate the irection of the win , while the C+C symbol enotes the centre of the ClowC$ )ote the occlu e , col an warm frontal boun aries$ 4ain article= !/tratro'ical cyclone 5n extratropical cyclone is a syno'tic scale low 'ressure weather system that has neither tro'ical nor 'olar characteristics, being connecte with fronts an hori&ontal gra ients in tem'erature an ew 'oint otherwise (nown as Cbaroclinic &onesC$"-1# %he escri'tor Ce/tratro'icalC refers to the fact that this ty'e of cyclone generally occurs outsi e of the tro'ics, in the mi le latitu es of the 'lanet$ %hese systems may also be escribe as Cmi ,latitu e cyclonesC ue to their area of formation, or C'ost,tro'ical cyclonesC where e/tratro'ical transition has occurre ,"-1#"-2# an are often escribe as C e'ressionsC or ClowsC by weather forecasters an the general 'ublic$ %hese are the every ay 'henomena which along with anti,cyclones, rive the weather over much of the !arth$ 5lthough e/tratro'ical cyclones are almost always classifie as baroclinic since they form along &ones of tem'erature an ew'oint gra ient within the westerlies, they can sometimes become barotro'ic late in their life cycle when the tem'erature istribution aroun the cyclone becomes fairly uniform with ra ius$"--# 5n e/tratro'ical cyclone can transform into a subtro'ical storm, an from there into a tro'ical cyclone, if it wells over warm waters an evelo's central convection, which warms its core$"1:# [edit] Subtropical

Subtro'ical Storm 5n rea in 2::7 4ain article= Subtro'ical cyclone 5 subtropical cyclone is a weather system that has some characteristics of a tro'ical cyclone an some characteristics of an e/tratro'ical cyclone$ %hey can form between the e8uator an the 1:th 'arallel$"-.#

5s early as the 191:s, meteorologists were unclear whether they shoul be characteri&e as tro'ical cyclones or e/tratro'ical cyclones, an use terms such as 8uasi,tro'ical an semi,tro'ical to escribe the cyclone hybri s$"-1# By 1972, the )ational *urricane 3enter officially recogni&e this cyclone category$"-2# Subtro'ical cyclones began to receive names off the official tro'ical cyclone list in the 5tlantic Basin in 2::2$"-.# %hey have broa win 'atterns with ma/imum sustaine win s locate farther from the center than ty'ical tro'ical cyclones, an e/ist in areas of wea( to mo erate tem'erature gra ient$"-.# Since they form from initially e/tratro'ical cyclones which have col er tem'eratures aloft than normally foun in the tro'ics, the sea surface tem'eratures re8uire for their formation are lower than the tro'ical cyclone threshol by three egrees 3elsius, or five egrees Fahrenheit, lying aroun 2- egrees 3elsius$ "-7# %his means that subtro'ical cyclones are more li(ely to form outsi e the tra itional boun s of the hurricane season$ 5lthough subtro'ical storms rarely have hurricane,force win s, they may become tro'ical in nature as their cores warm$"-8# [edit] Tropical

3yclone 3atarina, a rare South 5tlantic tro'ical cyclone viewe from the International S'ace Station on 4arch 22, 2::. 4ain article= %ro'ical cyclone 5 tropical cyclone is a storm system characteri&e by a low 'ressure center an numerous thun erstorms that 'ro uce strong win s an floo ing rain$ 5 tro'ical cyclone fee s on heat release when moist air rises, resulting in con ensation of water va'our containe in the moist air$ %hey are fuele by a ifferent heat mechanism than other cyclonic win storms such as nor6easters, !uro'ean win storms, an 'olar lows, lea ing to their classification as Cwarm coreC storm systems$"1:# %he term Ctro'icalC refers to both the geogra'hic origin of these systems, which form almost e/clusively in tro'ical regions of the globe, an their formation in 4aritime %ro'ical air masses$ %he term CcycloneC refers to such storms6 cyclonic nature, with countercloc(wise rotation in the )orthern *emis'here an cloc(wise rotation in the Southern *emis'here$ Fe'en ing on their location an strength, tro'ical cyclones are referre to by other names, such as hurricane, ty'hoon, tro'ical storm, cyclonic storm, tro'ical e'ression, or sim'ly as a cyclone$ Generally s'ea(ing, a tro'ical cyclone is referre to as a hurricane ;from the name of the ancient 3entral 5merican eity of win , *uracan< in the 5tlantic basin, an a 3yclone in the Pacific$"-9# 0hile tro'ical cyclones can 'ro uce e/tremely 'owerful win s an torrential rain, they are also able to 'ro uce high waves an amaging storm surge$".:# %hey evelo' over large bo ies of warm water,".1# an lose their strength if they move over lan $".2# %his is the reason coastal regions can receive significant amage from a tro'ical cyclone, while inlan regions are relatively safe from receiving strong win s$ *eavy rains, however, can 'ro uce significant floo ing inlan , an storm surges can 'ro uce e/tensive coastal floo ing u' to .: (ilometres ;21 mi< from the coastline$ 5lthough their effects on human 'o'ulations can be evastating, tro'ical cyclones can also relieve rought con itions$".-# %hey also carry heat an energy away from the tro'ics an trans'ort it towar tem'erate latitu es, which ma(es them an

im'ortant 'art of the global atmos'heric circulation mechanism$ 5s a result, tro'ical cyclones hel' to maintain e8uilibrium in the !arth6s tro'os'here$ 4any tro'ical cyclones evelo' when the atmos'heric con itions aroun a wea( isturbance in the atmos'here are favorable$ 9thers form when other ty'es of cyclones ac8uire tro'ical characteristics$ %ro'ical systems are then move by steering win s in the tro'os'hereG if the con itions remain favorable, the tro'ical isturbance intensifies, an can even evelo' an eye$ 9n the other en of the s'ectrum, if the con itions aroun the system eteriorate or the tro'ical cyclone ma(es lan fall, the system wea(ens an eventually issi'ates$ 5 tro'ical cyclone can become e/tratro'ical as it moves towar higher latitu es if its energy source changes from heat release by con ensation to ifferences in tem'erature between air massesG"1:# From an o'erational stan 'oint, a tro'ical cyclone is usually not consi ere to become subtro'ical uring its e/tratro'ical transition$"..# [edit] Mesoscale

5 mesocyclone from the Hreensburg, Eansas torna o in icate on Fo''ler weather ra ar$ 4ain article= 4esocyclone 5 mesocyclone is a vorte/ of air, a''ro/imately 2$: (ilometres ;1$2 mi< to 1: (ilometres ;2$2 mi< in iameter ;the mesoscale of meteorology<, within a convective storm$".1# 5ir rises an rotates aroun a vertical a/is, usually in the same irection as low 'ressure systems in both northern an southern hemis'here$ %hey are most often cyclonic, that is, associate with a locali&e low,'ressure region within a severe thun erstorm$".2# Such storms can feature strong surface win s an severe hail$ 4esocyclones often occur together with u' rafts in su'ercells, where torna oes may form$ 5bout 17:: mesocyclones form annually across the ?nite States, but only half 'ro uce torna oes$"11#

3yclones are not uni8ue to !arth$ 3yclonic storms are common on Iovian 'lanets, li(e the Small Far( S'ot on )e'tune$ 5lso (nown as the 0i&ar 6s !ye, it is about one thir the iameter of the Hreat Far( S'ot$ It receive the name C0i&ar 6s !yeC because it loo(s li(e an eye$ %his a''earance is cause by a white clou in the mi le of the 0i&ar 6s !ye$"8# 4ars has also e/hibite cyclonic storms$"7# Iovian

storms li(e the Hreat De S'ot are usually mista(enly name as giant hurricanes or cyclonic storms$ *owever, this is inaccurate, as the Hreat De S'ot is, in fact, the inverse 'henomenon, an anticyclone$" Tropical cyclone

*urricane Isabel ;2::-< as seen from orbit uring !/'e ition 7 of the International S'ace Station$ %he eye, eyewall an surroun ing rainban s characteristic of tro'ical cyclones are clearly visible in this view from s'ace$ 5 tropical cyclone is a storm system characteri&e by a large low,'ressure center an numerous thun erstorms that 'ro uce strong win s an heavy rain$ %ro'ical cyclones fee on heat release when moist air rises, resulting in con ensation of water va'or containe in the moist air$ %hey are fuele by a ifferent heat mechanism than other cyclonic win storms such as nor6easters, !uro'ean win storms, an 'olar lows, lea ing to their classification as Cwarm coreC storm systems$ %ro'ical cyclones originate in the ol rums near the e8uator, about 1:J away from it$ %he term Ctro'icalC refers to both the geogra'hic origin of these systems, which form almost e/clusively in tro'ical regions of the globe, an their formation in maritime tro'ical air masses$ %he term CcycloneC refers to such storms6 cyclonic nature, with countercloc(wise rotation in the )orthern *emis'here an cloc(wise rotation in the Southern *emis'here$ Fe'en ing on its location an strength, a tro'ical cyclone is referre to by names such as urricane, typ oon, tropical storm, cyclonic storm, tropical depression, an sim'ly cyclone$ 0hile tro'ical cyclones can 'ro uce e/tremely 'owerful win s an torrential rain, they are also able to 'ro uce high waves an amaging storm surge as well as s'awning torna oes$ %hey evelo' over large bo ies of warm water, an lose their strength if they move over lan $ %his is why coastal regions can receive significant amage from a tro'ical cyclone, while inlan regions are relatively safe from receiving strong win s$ *eavy rains, however, can 'ro uce significant floo ing inlan , an storm surges can 'ro uce e/tensive coastal floo ing u' to .: (ilometres ;21 mi< from the coastline$ 5lthough their effects on human 'o'ulations can be evastating, tro'ical cyclones can also relieve rought con itions$ %hey also carry heat an energy away from the tro'ics an trans'ort it towar tem'erate latitu es, which ma(es them an im'ortant 'art of the global atmos'heric circulation mechanism$ 5s a result, tro'ical cyclones hel' to maintain e8uilibrium in the !arth6s tro'os'here, an to maintain a relatively stable an warm tem'erature worl wi e$ 4any tro'ical cyclones evelo' when the atmos'heric con itions aroun a wea( isturbance in the atmos'here are favorable$ %he bac(groun environment is mo ulate by climatological cycles an 'atterns such as the 4a en,Iulian oscillation, !l )iKo,Southern 9scillation, an the 5tlantic multi eca al oscillation$ 9thers form when other ty'es of cyclones ac8uire tro'ical characteristics$ %ro'ical systems are then move by steering win s in the tro'os'hereG if the con itions remain favorable, the tro'ical isturbance intensifies, an can even evelo' an eye$ 9n the other en of the s'ectrum, if the con itions aroun the system eteriorate or the tro'ical cyclone ma(es lan fall, the

system wea(ens an eventually issi'ates$ It is not 'ossible to artificially in uce the issi'ation of these systems with current technology$ P ysical structure See also= !ye ;cyclone<

Structure of a tro'ical cyclone 5ll tro'ical cyclones are areas of low atmos'heric 'ressure near the !arth6s surface$ %he 'ressures recor e at the centers of tro'ical cyclones are among the lowest that occur on !arth6s surface at sea level$"1# %ro'ical cyclones are characteri&e an riven by the release of large amounts of latent heat of con ensation, which occurs when moist air is carrie u'war s an its water va'or con enses$ %his heat is istribute vertically aroun the center of the storm$ %hus, at any given altitu e ;e/ce't close to the surface, where water tem'erature ictates air tem'erature< the environment insi e the cyclone is warmer than its outer surroun ings$"2# Eye and center 5 strong tro'ical cyclone will harbor an area of sin(ing air at the center of circulation$ If this area is strong enough, it can evelo' into a large CeyeC$ 0eather in the eye is normally calm an free of clou s, although the sea may be e/tremely violent$"-# %he eye is normally circular in sha'e, an may range in si&e from - (ilometres ;1$9 mi< to -7: (ilometres ;2-: mi< in iameter$".#"1# Intense, mature tro'ical cyclones can sometimes e/hibit an outwar curving of the eyewall6s to', ma(ing it resemble a football sta iumG this 'henomenon is thus sometimes referre to as the stadium effect$"2# %here are other features that either surroun the eye, or cover it$ %he central ense overcast is the concentrate area of strong thun erstorm activity near the center of a tro'ical cycloneG"7# in wea(er tro'ical cyclones, the 3F9 may cover the center com'letely$"8# %he eyewall is a circle of strong thun erstorms that surroun s the eyeG here is where the greatest win s'ee s are foun , where clou s reach the highest, an 'reci'itation is the heaviest$ %he heaviest win amage occurs where a tro'ical cyclone6s eyewall 'asses over lan $"-# !yewall re'lacement cycles occur naturally in intense tro'ical cyclones$ 0hen cyclones reach 'ea( intensity they usually have an eyewall an ra ius of ma/imum win s that contract to a very small si&e, aroun 1: (ilometres ;2$2 mi< to 21 (ilometres ;12 mi<$ 9uter rainban s can organi&e into an outer ring of thun erstorms that slowly moves inwar an robs the inner eyewall of its nee e moisture an angular momentum$ 0hen the inner eyewall wea(ens, the tro'ical cyclone wea(ens ;in other wor s, the ma/imum sustaine win s wea(en an the central 'ressure rises$< %he outer eyewall re'laces the inner one com'letely at the en of the cycle$ %he storm can be of the same intensity as it was 'reviously or even stronger after the eyewall re'lacement cycle finishes$ %he storm may strengthen again as it buil s a new outer ring for the ne/t eyewall re'lacement$"9# Si!e 9ne measure of the si&e of a tro'ical cyclone is etermine by measuring the istance from its center of circulation to its outermost close isobar, also (nown as its D93I$ If the ra ius is less than two egrees of latitu e or 222 (ilometres ;1-8 mi<, then the cyclone is Cvery smallC or a Cmi getC$ 5 ra ius between - an 2 latitu e egrees or --- (ilometres ;2:7 mi< to 222 (ilometres ;.1. mi< are consi ere Caverage,

si&e C$ CLery largeC tro'ical cyclones have a ra ius of greater than 8 egrees or 888 (ilometres ;112 mi<$"1:# ?se of this measure has ob7ectively etermine that tro'ical cyclones in the northwest Pacific 9cean are the largest on earth on average, with 5tlantic tro'ical cyclones roughly half their si&e$ "11# 9ther metho s of etermining a tro'ical cyclone6s si&e inclu e measuring the ra ius of gale force win s an measuring the ra ius at which its relative vorticity fiel ecreases to 1M1:N1 sN1 from its center$"12#"1-# Mec anics

%ro'ical cyclones form when the energy release by the con ensation of moisture in rising air causes a 'ositive fee bac( loo' over warm ocean waters$"1.# 5 tro'ical cyclone6s 'rimary energy source is the release of the heat of con ensation from water va'or con ensing at high altitu es, with solar heating being the initial source for eva'oration$ %herefore, a tro'ical cyclone can be visuali&e as a giant vertical heat engine su''orte by mechanics riven by 'hysical forces such as the rotation an gravity of the !arth$"11# In another way, tro'ical cyclones coul be viewe as a s'ecial ty'e of mesoscale convective com'le/, which continues to evelo' over a vast source of relative warmth an moisture$ 3on ensation lea s to higher win s'ee s, as a tiny fraction of the release energy is converte into mechanical energyG"12# the faster win s an lower 'ressure associate with them in turn cause increase surface eva'oration an thus even more con ensation$ 4uch of the release energy rives u' rafts that increase the height of the storm clou s, s'ee ing u' con ensation$"17# %his 'ositive fee bac( loo' continues for as long as con itions are favorable for tro'ical cyclone evelo'ment$ Factors such as a continue lac( of e8uilibrium in air mass istribution woul also give su''orting energy to the cyclone$ %he rotation of the !arth causes the system to s'in, an effect (nown as the 3oriolis effect, giving it a cyclonic characteristic an affecting the tra7ectory of the storm$"18#"19# 0hat 'rimarily istinguishes tro'ical cyclones from other meteorological 'henomena is ee' convection as a riving force$"2:# Because convection is strongest in a tro'ical climate, it efines the initial omain of the tro'ical cyclone$ By contrast, mi ,latitu e cyclones raw their energy mostly from 're,e/isting hori&ontal tem'erature gra ients in the atmos'here$"2:# %o continue to rive its heat engine, a tro'ical cyclone must remain over warm water, which 'rovi es the nee e atmos'heric moisture to (ee' the 'ositive fee bac( loo' running$ 0hen a tro'ical cyclone 'asses over lan , it is cut off from its heat source an its strength iminishes ra'i ly$"21#

3hart is'laying the ro' in surface tem'erature in the Hulf of 4e/ico as *urricanes Eatrina an Dita 'asse over %he 'assage of a tro'ical cyclone over the ocean can cause the u''er layers of the ocean to cool substantially, which can influence subse8uent cyclone evelo'ment$ 3ooling is 'rimarily cause by u'welling of col water from ee'er in the ocean because of the win $ %he cooler water causes the storm to wea(en$ %his is a negative fee bac( 'rocess that causes the storms to wea(en over sea because of their own effects$ 5 itional cooling may come in the form of col water from falling rain ro's ;this is because the atmos'here is cooler at higher altitu es<$ 3lou cover may also 'lay a role in cooling the ocean, by shiel ing the ocean surface from irect sunlight before an slightly after the storm 'assage$ 5ll these effects can combine to 'ro uce a ramatic ro' in sea surface tem'erature over a large area in 7ust a few ays$"22# Scientists at the ?S )ational 3enter for 5tmos'heric Desearch estimate that a tro'ical cyclone releases heat energy at the rate of 1: to 2:: e/a7oules ;1:18 I< 'er ay,"17# e8uivalent to about 1 P0 ;1:11 watt<$ %his rate of energy release is e8uivalent to 7: times the worl energy consum'tion of humans an 2:: times the worl wi e electrical generating ca'acity, or to e/'lo ing a 1:,megaton nuclear bomb every 2: minutes$"17#"2-# 0hile the most obvious motion of clou s is towar the center, tro'ical cyclones also evelo' an u''er, level ;high,altitu e< outwar flow of clou s$ %hese originate from air that has release its moisture an is e/'elle at high altitu e through the CchimneyC of the storm engine$"11# %his outflow 'ro uces high, thin cirrus clou s that s'iral away from the center$ %he clou s are thin enough for the sun to be visible through them$ %hese high cirrus clou s may be the first signs of an a''roaching tro'ical cyclone$"2.# Ma"or basins and related warnin# centers %here are si/ Degional S'eciali&e 4eteorological 3enters ;DS43s< worl wi e$ %hese organi&ations are esignate by the 0orl 4eteorological 9rgani&ation an are res'onsible for trac(ing an issuing bulletins, warnings, an a visories about tro'ical cyclones in their esignate areas of res'onsibility$ 5 itionally, there are si/ %ro'ical 3yclone 0arning 3enters ;%303s< that 'rovi e information to smaller regions$"22# %he DS43s an %303s are not the only organi&ations that 'rovi e information about tro'ical cyclones to the 'ublic$ %he Ioint %y'hoon 0arning 3enter ;I%03< issues a visories in all basins e/ce't the )orthern 5tlantic for the 'ur'oses of the ?nite States Hovernment$"27# %he Phili''ine 5tmos'heric, Heo'hysical an 5stronomical Services 5 ministration ;P5H5S5< issues a visories an names for tro'ical cyclones that a''roach the Phili''ines in the )orthwestern Pacific to 'rotect the life an 'ro'erty of its citi&ens$"28# %he 3ana ian *urricane 3enter ;3*3< issues a visories on hurricanes an their remnants for 3ana ian citi&ens when they affect 3ana a$"29# 9n 22 4arch 2::., 3yclone 3atarina became the first recor e South 5tlantic cyclone an subse8uently struc( southern Bra&il with win s e8uivalent to 3ategory 2 on the Saffir,Sim'son *urricane Scale$ 5s the cyclone forme outsi e the authority of another warning center, Bra&ilian meteorologists initially treate the system as an e/tratro'ical cyclone, although subse8uently classifie it as tro'ical$"-:# Formation 4ain article= %ro'ical cyclogenesis

4a' of the cumulative trac(s of all tro'ical cyclones uring the 1981O2::1 time 'erio $ %he Pacific 9cean west of the International Fate +ine sees more tro'ical cyclones than any other basin, while there is almost no activity in the 5tlantic 9cean south of the !8uator$

0orl wi e, tro'ical cyclone activity 'ea(s in late summer, when the ifference between tem'eratures aloft an sea surface tem'eratures is the greatest$ *owever, each 'articular basin has its own seasonal 'atterns$ 9n a worl wi e scale, 4ay is the least active month, while Se'tember is the most active whilst )ovember is the only month with all the tro'ical cyclone basins active$"-1# Times In the )orthern 5tlantic 9cean, a istinct hurricane season occurs from Iune 1 to )ovember -:, shar'ly 'ea(ing from late 5ugust through Se'tember$"-1# %he statistical 'ea( of the 5tlantic hurricane season is 1: Se'tember$ %he )ortheast Pacific 9cean has a broa er 'erio of activity, but in a similar time frame to the 5tlantic$"-2# %he )orthwest Pacific sees tro'ical cyclones year,roun , with a minimum in February an 4arch an a 'ea( in early Se'tember$ In the )orth In ian basin, storms are most common from 5'ril to Fecember, with 'ea(s in 4ay an )ovember$"-1# In the Southern *emis'here, the tro'ical cyclone year begins on Iuly 1 an runs all year roun an encom'asses the tro'ical cyclone seasons which run from )ovember 1 until the en of 5'ril with 'ea(s in mi ,February to early 4arch$"-1#"--# Factors

0aves in the tra e win s in the 5tlantic 9cean>areas of converging win s that move along the same trac( as the 'revailing win >create instabilities in the atmos'here that may lea to the formation of hurricanes$ %he formation of tro'ical cyclones is the to'ic of e/tensive ongoing research an is still not fully un erstoo $"-1# 0hile si/ factors a''ear to be generally necessary, tro'ical cyclones may occasionally form without meeting all of the following con itions$ In most situations, water tem'eratures of at least 22$1 J3 ;79$7 JF< are nee e own to a e'th of at least 1: m ;12: ft<G"-2# waters of this tem'erature cause the overlying atmos'here to be unstable enough to sustain convection an thun erstorms$"-7# 5nother factor is ra'i cooling with height, which allows the release of the heat of con ensation that 'owers a tro'ical cyclone$"-2# *igh humi ity is nee e , es'ecially in the lower,to,mi tro'os'hereG when there is a great eal of moisture in the atmos'here, con itions are more favorable for isturbances to evelo'$"-2# +ow amounts of win shear are nee e , as high shear is isru'tive to the storm6s circulation$

"-2#

%ro'ical cyclones generally nee to form more than 111 (m ;-.1 mi< or 1 egrees of latitu e away from the e8uator, allowing the 3oriolis effect to eflect win s blowing towar s the low 'ressure center an creating a circulation$"-2# +astly, a formative tro'ical cyclone nee s a 're,e/isting system of isturbe weather, although without a circulation no cyclonic evelo'ment will ta(e 'lace$"-2# $ocations 4ost tro'ical cyclones form in a worl wi e ban of thun erstorm activity calle by several names= the Intertro'ical Front ;I%F<, the Intertro'ical 3onvergence Pone ;I%3P<, or the monsoon trough$"-8#"-9#".:# 5nother im'ortant source of atmos'heric instability is foun in tro'ical waves, which cause about 81Q of intense tro'ical cyclones in the 5tlantic ocean, an become most of the tro'ical cyclones in the !astern Pacific basin$".1#".2#".-# %ro'ical cyclones move westwar when e8uatorwar of the subtro'ical ri ge, intensifying as they move$ 4ost of these systems form between 1: an -: egrees away of the e8uator, an 87Q form no farther away than 2: egrees of latitu e, north or south$"..#".1# Because the 3oriolis effect initiates an maintains tro'ical cyclone rotation, tro'ical cyclones rarely form or move within about 1 egrees of the e8uator, where the 3oriolis effect is wea(est$"..# *owever, it is 'ossible for tro'ical cyclones to form within this boun ary as %ro'ical Storm Lamei i in 2::1 an 3yclone 5gni in 2::.$".2#".7# Movement and trac% Steerin# winds See also= Prevailing win s 5lthough tro'ical cyclones are large systems generating enormous energy, their movements over the !arth6s surface are controlle by large,scale win s>the streams in the !arth6s atmos'here$ %he 'ath of motion is referre to as a tro'ical cyclone6s track an has been analogi&e by Fr$ )eil Fran(, former irector of the )ational *urricane 3enter, to Cleaves carrie along by a streamC$".8# %ro'ical systems, while generally locate e8uatorwar of the 2:th 'arallel, are steere 'rimarily westwar by the east,to,west win s on the e8uatorwar si e of the subtro'ical ri ge>a 'ersistent high 'ressure area over the worl 6s oceans$".8# In the tro'ical )orth 5tlantic an )ortheast Pacific oceans, tra e win s>another name for the westwar ,moving win currents>steer tro'ical waves westwar from the 5frican coast an towar s the 3aribbean Sea, )orth 5merica, an ultimately into the central Pacific ocean before the waves am'en out$".2# %hese waves are the 'recursors to many tro'ical cyclones within this region$".1# In the In ian 9cean an 0estern Pacific ;both north an south of the e8uator<, tro'ical cyclogenesis is strongly influence by the seasonal movement of the Intertro'ical 3onvergence Pone an the monsoon trough, rather than by easterly waves$".:# %ro'ical cyclones can also be steere by other systems, such as other low 'ressure systems, high 'ressure systems, warm fronts, an col fronts$ Coriolis e&&ect

Infrare image of a 'owerful southern hemis'here cyclone, 4onica, near 'ea( intensity, showing cloc(wise rotation ue to the 3oriolis effect %he !arth6s rotation im'arts an acceleration (nown as the Coriolis effect, Coriolis acceleration, or collo8uially, Coriolis force$ %his acceleration causes cyclonic systems to turn towar s the 'oles in the absence of strong steering currents$".9# %he 'olewar 'ortion of a tro'ical cyclone contains easterly win s, an the 3oriolis effect 'ulls them slightly more 'olewar $ %he westerly win s on the e8uatorwar 'ortion of the cyclone 'ull slightly towar s the e8uator, but, because the 3oriolis effect wea(ens towar the e8uator, the net rag on the cyclone is 'olewar $ %hus, tro'ical cyclones in the )orthern *emis'here usually turn north ;before being blown east<, an tro'ical cyclones in the Southern *emis'here usually turn south ;before being blown east< when no other effects counteract the 3oriolis effect$"19# %he 3oriolis effect also initiates cyclonic rotation, but it is not the riving force that brings this rotation to high s'ee s O that force is the heat of con ensation$"17# 'nteraction wit t e mid-latitude westerlies See also= 0esterlies

Storm trac( of %y'hoon Io(e, showing recurvature off the Ia'anese coast in 2::2 0hen a tro'ical cyclone crosses the subtro'ical ri ge a/is, its general trac( aroun the high,'ressure area is eflecte significantly by win s moving towar s the general low,'ressure area to its north$ 0hen the cyclone trac( becomes strongly 'olewar with an easterly com'onent, the cyclone has begun recurvature."1:# 5 ty'hoon moving through the Pacific 9cean towar s 5sia, for e/am'le, will recurve offshore of Ia'an to the north, an then to the northeast, if the ty'hoon encounters southwesterly win s ;blowing northeastwar < aroun a low,'ressure system 'assing over 3hina or Siberia$ 4any tro'ical cyclones are eventually force towar the northeast by e/tratro'ical cyclones in this manner, which move from west to east to the north of the subtro'ical ri ge$ 5n e/am'le of a tro'ical cyclone in recurvature was %y'hoon Io(e in 2::2, which too( a similar tra7ectory$"11# $and&all See also= +ist of notable tro'ical cyclones an ?nusual areas of tro'ical cyclone formation 9fficially, landfall is when a storm6s center ;the center of its circulation, not its e ge< crosses the coastline$"12# Storm con itions may be e/'erience on the coast an inlan hours before lan fallG in fact, a tro'ical cyclone can launch its strongest win s over lan , yet not ma(e lan fallG if this occurs, then it is sai that the storm ma e a direct hit on the coast$"12# 5s a result of the narrowness of this efinition, the lan fall area e/'eriences half of a lan ,boun storm by the time the actual lan fall occurs$ For emergency 're'are ness, actions shoul be time from when a certain win s'ee or intensity of rainfall will reach lan , not from when lan fall will occur$"12# Multiple storm interaction

4ain article= Fu7iwhara effect 0hen two cyclones a''roach one another, their centers will begin orbiting cyclonically about a 'oint between the two systems$ %he two vortices will be attracte to each other, an eventually s'iral into the center 'oint an merge$ 0hen the two vortices are of une8ual si&e, the larger vorte/ will ten to ominate the interaction, an the smaller vorte/ will orbit aroun it$ %his 'henomenon is calle the Fu7iwhara effect, after Sa(uhei Fu7iwhara$"1-# (issipation Factors

%ro'ical Storm Fran(lin, an e/am'le of a strongly sheare tro'ical cyclone in the 5tlantic Basin uring 2::1 5 tro'ical cyclone can cease to have tro'ical characteristics through several ifferent ways$ 9ne such way is if it moves over lan , thus e'riving it of the warm water it nee s to 'ower itself, 8uic(ly losing strength$"1.# 4ost strong storms lose their strength very ra'i ly after lan fall an become isorgani&e areas of low 'ressure within a ay or two, or evolve into e/tratro'ical cyclones$ 0hile there is a chance a tro'ical cyclone coul regenerate if it manage to get bac( over o'en warm water, if it remains over mountains for even a short time, wea(ening will accelerate$"11# 4any storm fatalities occur in mountainous terrain, as the ying storm unleashes torrential rainfall,"12# lea ing to ea ly floo s an mu sli es, similar to those that ha''ene with *urricane 4itch in 1998$"17# 5 itionally, issi'ation can occur if a storm remains in the same area of ocean for too long, mi/ing the u''er 2: metres ;2:: ft< of water, ro''ing sea surface tem'eratures more than 1 J3 ;9 JF<$"18# 0ithout warm surface water, the storm cannot survive$"19# 5 tro'ical cyclone can issi'ate when it moves over waters significantly below 22$1 J3 ;79$7 JF<$ %his will cause the storm to lose its tro'ical characteristics ;i$e$ thun erstorms near the center an warm core< an become a remnant low 'ressure area, which can 'ersist for several ays$ %his is the main issi'ation mechanism in the )ortheast Pacific ocean$"2:# 0ea(ening or issi'ation can occur if it e/'eriences vertical win shear, causing the convection an heat engine to move away from the centerG this normally ceases evelo'ment of a tro'ical cyclone$"21# 5 itionally, its interaction with the main belt of the 0esterlies, by means of merging with a nearby frontal &one, can cause tro'ical cyclones to evolve into e/tratro'ical cyclones$ %his transition can ta(e 1O- ays$"22# !ven after a tro'ical cyclone is sai to be e/tratro'ical or issi'ate , it can still have tro'ical storm force ;or occasionally hurricaneBty'hoon force< win s an ro' several inches of rainfall$ In the Pacific ocean an 5tlantic ocean, such tro'ical, erive cyclones of higher latitu es can be violent an may occasionally remain at hurricane or ty'hoon,force

win s'ee s when they reach the west coast of )orth 5merica$ %hese 'henomena can also affect !uro'e, where they are (nown as European windstormsG *urricane Iris6s e/tratro'ical remnants are an e/am'le of such a win storm from 1991$"2-# 5 itionally, a cyclone can merge with another area of low 'ressure, becoming a larger area of low 'ressure$ %his can strengthen the resultant system, although it may no longer be a tro'ical cyclone$"21# Stu ies in the 2:::s have given rise to the hy'othesis that large amounts of ust re uce the strength of tro'ical cyclones$"2.# Arti&icial dissipation In the 192:s an 197:s, the ?nite States government attem'te to wea(en hurricanes through Pro7ect Stormfury by see ing selecte storms with silver io i e$ It was thought that the see ing woul cause su'ercoole water in the outer rainban s to free&e, causing the inner eyewall to colla'se an thus re ucing the win s$"21# %he win s of *urricane Febbie>a hurricane see e in Pro7ect Stormfury> ro''e as much as -1Q, but Febbie regaine its strength after each of two see ing forays$"22# In an earlier e'iso e in 19.7, isaster struc( when a hurricane east of Iac(sonville, Flori a 'rom'tly change its course after being see e , an smashe into Savannah, Heorgia$"27# Because there was so much uncertainty about the behavior of these storms, the fe eral government woul not a''rove see ing o'erations unless the hurricane ha a less than 1:Q chance of ma(ing lan fall within .8 hours, greatly re ucing the number of 'ossible test storms$ %he 'ro7ect was ro''e after it was iscovere that eyewall re'lacement cycles occur naturally in strong hurricanes, casting oubt on the result of the earlier attem'ts$ %o ay, it is (nown that silver io i e see ing is not li(ely to have an effect because the amount of su'ercoole water in the rainban s of a tro'ical cyclone is too low$"28# 9ther a''roaches have been suggeste over time, inclu ing cooling the water un er a tro'ical cyclone by towing icebergs into the tro'ical oceans$"29# 9ther i eas range from covering the ocean in a substance that inhibits eva'oration,"7:# ro''ing large 8uantities of ice into the eye at very early stages of evelo'ment ;so that the latent heat is absorbe by the ice, instea of being converte to (inetic energy that woul fee the 'ositive fee bac( loo'<,"29# or blasting the cyclone a'art with nuclear wea'ons$"12# Pro7ect 3irrus even involve throwing ry ice on a cyclone$"71# %hese a''roaches all suffer from one flaw above many others= tro'ical cyclones are sim'ly too large an short,live for any of the wea(ening techni8ues to be 'ractical$"72# E&&ects

%he aftermath of *urricane Eatrina in Hulf'ort, 4ississi''i$ 4ain article= !ffects of tro'ical cyclones %ro'ical cyclones out at sea cause large waves, heavy rain, an high win s, isru'ting international shi''ing an , at times, causing shi'wrec(s$"7-# %ro'ical cyclones stir u' water, leaving a cool wa(e behin them, which causes the region to be less favourable for subse8uent tro'ical cyclones$"22# 9n lan , strong win s can amage or estroy vehicles, buil ings, bri ges, an other outsi e ob7ects, turning loose ebris into ea ly flying 'ro7ectiles$ %he storm surge, or the increase in sea level ue to the cyclone, is ty'ically the worst effect from lan falling tro'ical cyclones, historically resulting in 9:Q of tro'ical cyclone eaths$"7.# %he broa rotation of a lan falling tro'ical cyclone, an vertical win shear at its

'eri'hery, s'awns torna oes$ %orna oes can also be s'awne as a result of eyewall mesovortices, which 'ersist until lan fall$"71# 9ver the 'ast two centuries, tro'ical cyclones have been res'onsible for the eaths of about 1$9 million 'eo'le worl wi e$ +arge areas of stan ing water cause by floo ing lea to infection, as well as contributing to mos8uito,borne illnesses$ 3row e evacuees in shelters increase the ris( of isease 'ro'agation$"72# %ro'ical cyclones significantly interru't infrastructure, lea ing to 'ower outages, bri ge estruction, an the ham'ering of reconstruction efforts$"72#"77# 5lthough cyclones ta(e an enormous toll in lives an 'ersonal 'ro'erty, they may be im'ortant factors in the 'reci'itation regimes of 'laces they im'act, as they may bring much,nee e 'reci'itation to otherwise ry regions$"78# %ro'ical cyclones also hel' maintain the global heat balance by moving warm, moist tro'ical air to the mi le latitu es an 'olar regions$"79# %he storm surge an win s of hurricanes may be estructive to human,ma e structures, but they also stir u' the waters of coastal estuaries, which are ty'ically im'ortant fish bree ing locales$ %ro'ical cyclone estruction s'urs re evelo'ment, greatly increasing local 'ro'erty values$"8:# )bservation and &orecastin#

Sunset view of *urricane Isi ore6s rainban s 'hotogra'he at 7,::: feet ;2,1:: m< Intense tro'ical cyclones 'ose a 'articular observation challenge, as they are a angerous oceanic 'henomenon, an weather stations, being relatively s'arse, are rarely available on the site of the storm itself$ Surface observations are generally available only if the storm is 'assing over an islan or a coastal area, or if there is a nearby shi'$ ?sually, real,time measurements are ta(en in the 'eri'hery of the cyclone, where con itions are less catastro'hic an its true strength cannot be evaluate $ For this reason, there are teams of meteorologists that move into the 'ath of tro'ical cyclones to hel' evaluate their strength at the 'oint of lan fall$"81# %ro'ical cyclones far from lan are trac(e by weather satellites ca'turing visible an infrare images from s'ace, usually at half,hour to 8uarter,hour intervals$ 5s a storm a''roaches lan , it can be observe by lan ,base Fo''ler ra ar$ Da ar 'lays a crucial role aroun lan fall by showing a storm6s location an intensity every several minutes$"82# In,situ measurements, in real,time, can be ta(en by sen ing s'ecially e8ui''e reconnaissance flights into the cyclone$ In the 5tlantic basin, these flights are regularly flown by ?nite States government hurricane hunters$"8-# %he aircraft use are 03,1-: *ercules an 0P,-F 9rions, both four,engine turbo'ro' cargo aircraft$ %hese aircraft fly irectly into the cyclone an ta(e irect an remote,sensing measurements$ %he aircraft also launch HPS ro'son es insi e the cyclone$ %hese son es measure tem'erature, humi ity, 'ressure, an es'ecially win s between flight level an the ocean6s surface$ 5 new era in hurricane observation began when a remotely 'ilote 5eroson e, a small rone aircraft, was flown through %ro'ical Storm 9'helia as it 'asse Lirginia6s !astern Shore uring the 2::1 hurricane season$ 5 similar mission was also com'lete successfully in the western Pacific ocean$ %his emonstrate a new way to 'robe the storms at low altitu es that human 'ilots sel om are$"8.#

Forecastin# See also= %ro'ical cyclone trac( forecasting, %ro'ical cyclone 're iction mo el, an %ro'ical cyclone rainfall forecasting Because of the forces that affect tro'ical cyclone trac(s, accurate trac( 're ictions e'en on etermining the 'osition an strength of high, an low,'ressure areas, an 're icting how those areas will change uring the life of a tro'ical system$ %he ee' layer mean flow, or average win through the e'th of the tro'os'here, is consi ere the best tool in etermining trac( irection an s'ee $ If storms are significantly sheare , use of win s'ee measurements at a lower altitu e, such as at the 7:: hPa 'ressure surface ;-,::: metresB9,8:: feet above sea level< will 'ro uce better 're ictions$ %ro'ical forecasters also consi er smoothing out short,term wobbles of the storm as it allows them to etermine a more accurate long,term tra7ectory$"81# *igh,s'ee com'uters an so'histicate simulation software allow forecasters to 'ro uce com'uter mo els that 're ict tro'ical cyclone trac(s base on the future 'osition an strength of high, an low,'ressure systems$ 3ombining forecast mo els with increase un erstan ing of the forces that act on tro'ical cyclones, as well as with a wealth of ata from !arth, orbiting satellites an other sensors, scientists have increase the accuracy of trac( forecasts over recent eca es$"82# *owever, scientists are less s(illful at 're icting the intensity of tro'ical cyclones$"87# %he lac( of im'rovement in intensity forecasting is attribute to the com'le/ity of tro'ical systems an an incom'lete un erstan ing of factors that affect their evelo'ment$ Classi&ications* terminolo#y* and namin# 'ntensity classi&ications 4ain article= %ro'ical cyclone scales

%hree tro'ical cyclones at ifferent stages of evelo'ment$ %he wea(est ;left< emonstrates only the most basic circular sha'e$ 5 stronger storm ;to' right< emonstrates s'iral ban ing an increase centrali&ation, while the strongest ;lower right< has evelo'e an eye$ %ro'ical cyclones are classifie into three main grou's, base on intensity= tro'ical e'ressions, tro'ical storms, an a thir grou' of more intense storms, whose name e'en s on the region$ For e/am'le, if a tro'ical storm in the )orthwestern Pacific reaches hurricane,strength win s on the Beaufort scale, it is referre to as a typhoonG if a tro'ical storm 'asses the same benchmar( in the )ortheast Pacific Basin, or in the 5tlantic, it is calle a hurricane$"12# )either ChurricaneC nor Cty'hoonC is use in either the Southern *emis'here or the In ian 9cean$ In these basins, storms of tro'ical nature are referre as sim'ly CcyclonesC$

5 itionally, as in icate in the table below, each basin uses a se'arate system of terminology, ma(ing com'arisons between ifferent basins ifficult$ In the Pacific 9cean, hurricanes from the 3entral )orth Pacific sometimes cross the International Fate +ine into the )orthwest Pacific, becoming ty'hoons ;such as *urricaneB%y'hoon Io(e in 2::2<G on rare occasions, the reverse will occur$"88# It shoul also be note that ty'hoons with sustaine win s greater than 27 metres 'er secon ;1-: (n< or 11: miles 'er hour ;2.: (mBh< are calle Super Typhoons by the Ioint %y'hoon 0arning 3enter$"89# [edit] Tropical depression 5 tropical depression is an organi&e system of clou s an thun erstorms with a efine , close surface circulation an ma/imum sustaine win s of less than 17 metres 'er secon ;-- (n< or -9 miles 'er hour ;2- (mBh<$ It has no eye an oes not ty'ically have the organi&ation or the s'iral sha'e of more 'owerful storms$ *owever, it is alrea y a low,'ressure system, hence the name C e'ressionC$"11# %he 'ractice of the Phili''ines is to name tro'ical e'ressions from their own naming convention when the e'ressions are within the Phili''ines6 area of res'onsibility$"9:# [edit] Tropical storm 5 tropical storm is an organi&e system of strong thun erstorms with a efine surface circulation an ma/imum sustaine win s between 17 metres 'er secon ;-- (n< ;-9 miles 'er hour ;2- (mBh<< an -2 metres 'er secon ;22 (n< ;7- miles 'er hour ;117 (mBh<<$ 5t this 'oint, the istinctive cyclonic sha'e starts to evelo', although an eye is not usually 'resent$ Hovernment weather services, other than the Phili''ines, first assign names to systems that reach this intensity ;thus the term named storm<$"11# [edit] +urricane or typ oon 5 urricane or typ oon ;sometimes sim'ly referre to as a tro'ical cyclone, as o''ose to a e'ression or storm< is a system with sustaine win s of at least -- metres 'er secon ;2. (n< or 7. miles 'er hour ;119 (mBh<$"11# 5 cyclone of this intensity ten s to evelo' an eye, an area of relative calm ;an lowest atmos'heric 'ressure< at the center of circulation$ %he eye is often visible in satellite images as a small, circular, clou ,free s'ot$ Surroun ing the eye is the eyewall, an area about 12 (ilometres ;9$9 mi< to 8: (ilometres ;1: mi< wi e in which the strongest thun erstorms an win s circulate aroun the storm6s center$ 4a/imum sustaine win s in the strongest tro'ical cyclones have been estimate at about 81 metres 'er secon ;121 (n< or 191 miles 'er hour ;-1. (mBh<$"91# )ri#in o& storm terms

%ai'ei 1:1 en ures a ty'hoon in 2::1 %he wor typhoon, which is use to ay in the )orthwest Pacific, may be erive from ?r u, Persian an 5rabic fn ;RSTUV<, which in turn originates from Hree( tuphn ;WXYZ[<, a monster in Hree( mythology res'onsible for hot win s$"9.# %he relate Portuguese wor tuf o, use in Portuguese for

ty'hoons, is also erive from Hree( tuphn$"91# 5nother theory is that it may have come from the 3hinese wor C afengC ;C aifungC in 3antonese< ; O literally big win s<$"citation needed# %he wor hurricane, use in the )orth 5tlantic an )ortheast Pacific, is erive from the name of a native 3aribbean 5merin ian storm go , *uracan, via S'anish hurac!n$"92# ;*uracan is also the source of the wor "rcan, another wor for the !uro'ean win storm$ %hese events shoul not be confuse $< *uracan became the S'anish term for hurricanes$ ,amin# 4ain articles= %ro'ical cyclone naming an +ists of tro'ical cyclone names Storms reaching tro'ical storm strength were initially given names to eliminate confusion when there are multi'le systems in any in ivi ual basin at the same time, which assists in warning 'eo'le of the coming storm$"97# In most cases, a tro'ical cyclone retains its name throughout its lifeG however, un er s'ecial circumstances, tro'ical cyclones may be rename while active$ %hese names are ta(en from lists that vary from region to region an are usually rafte a few years ahea of time$ %he lists are eci e on, e'en ing on the regions, either by committees of the 0orl 4eteorological 9rgani&ation ;calle 'rimarily to iscuss many other issues<, or by national weather offices involve in the forecasting of the storms$ !ach year, the names of 'articularly estructive storms ;if there are any< are Cretire C an new names are chosen to ta(e their 'lace$ ,otable tropical cyclones 4ain articles= +ist of notable tro'ical cyclones, +ist of 5tlantic hurricanes, an +ist of Pacific hurricanes %ro'ical cyclones that cause e/treme estruction are rare, although when they occur, they can cause great amounts of amage or thousan s of fatalities$ %he 197: Bhola cyclone is the ea liest tro'ical cyclone on recor , (illing more than -::,::: 'eo'le"98# an 'otentially as many as 1 million"99# after stri(ing the ensely 'o'ulate Hanges Felta region of Bangla esh on 1- )ovember 197:$ Its 'owerful storm surge was res'onsible for the high eath toll$"98# %he )orth In ian cyclone basin has historically been the ea liest basin$"72#"1::# !lsewhere, %y'hoon )ina (ille nearly 1::,::: in 3hina in 1971 ue to a 1::,year floo that cause 22 ams inclu ing the Ban8iao Fam to fail$"1:1# %he Hreat *urricane of 178: is the ea liest 5tlantic hurricane on recor , (illing about 22,::: 'eo'le in the +esser 5ntilles$"1:2# 5 tro'ical cyclone oes nee not be 'articularly strong to cause memorable amage, 'rimarily if the eaths are from rainfall or mu sli es$ %ro'ical Storm %helma in )ovember 1991 (ille thousan s in the Phili''ines,"1:-# while in 1982, the unname tro'ical e'ression that eventually became *urricane Paul (ille aroun 1,::: 'eo'le in 3entral 5merica$"1:.# *urricane Eatrina is estimate as the costliest tro'ical cyclone worl wi e,"1:1# causing \81$2 billion in 'ro'erty amage ;2::8 ?SF<"1:2# with overall amage estimates e/cee ing \1:: billion ;2::1 ?SF<$"1:1# Eatrina (ille at least 1,8-2 'eo'le after stri(ing +ouisiana an 4ississi''i as a ma7or hurricane in 5ugust 2::1$"1:2# *urricane 5n rew is the secon most estructive tro'ical cyclone in ?$S history, with amages totaling \.:$7 billion ;2::8 ?SF<, an with amage costs at \-1$1 billion ;2::8 ?SF<, *urricane I(e is the thir most estructive tro'ical cyclone in ?$S history$ %he Halveston *urricane of 19:: is the ea liest natural isaster in the ?nite States, (illing an estimate 2,::: to 12,::: 'eo'le in Halveston, %e/as$"1:7# *urricane 4itch cause more than 1:, ::: fatalities in +atin 5merica$ *urricane Ini(i in 1992 was the most 'owerful storm to stri(e *awaii in recor e history, hitting Eauai as a 3ategory . hurricane, (illing si/ 'eo'le, an causing ?$S$ \- billion in amage$"1:8# 9ther estructive !astern Pacific hurricanes inclu e Pauline an Eenna, both causing severe amage after stri(ing 4e/ico as ma7or hurricanes$"1:9#"11:# In 4arch 2::., 3yclone Hafilo struc( northeastern 4a agascar as a 'owerful cyclone, (illing 7., affecting more than 2::,:::, an becoming the worst cyclone to affect the nation for more than 2: years$"111#

%he relative si&es of %y'hoon %i', 3yclone %racy, an the 3ontiguous ?nite States %he most intense storm on recor was %y'hoon %i' in the northwestern Pacific 9cean in 1979, which reache a minimum 'ressure of 87: mbar ;21$29 in*g< an ma/imum sustaine win s'ee s of 121 (nots ;81 mBs< or 19: miles 'er hour ;-1: (mBh<$"112# %i', however, oes not solely hol the recor for fastest sustaine win s in a cyclone$ %y'hoon Eeith in the Pacific an *urricanes 3amille an 5llen in the )orth 5tlantic currently share this recor with %i'$"11-# 3amille was the only storm to actually stri(e lan while at that intensity, ma(ing it, with 121 (nots ;81 mBs< or 19: miles 'er hour ;-1: (mBh< sustaine win s an 18- (nots ;9. mBs< or 21: miles 'er hour ;-.: (mBh< gusts, the strongest tro'ical cyclone on recor at lan fall$"11.# %y'hoon )ancy in 1921 ha recor e win s'ee s of 181 (nots ;91 mBs< or 211 miles 'er hour ;-.2 (mBh<, but recent research in icates that win s'ee s from the 19.:s to the 192:s were gauge too high, an this is no longer consi ere the storm with the highest win s'ee s on recor $"91# Similarly, a surface,level gust cause by %y'hoon Pa(a on Huam was recor e at 2:1 (nots ;1:1 mBs< or 2-1 miles 'er hour ;-78 (mBh<$ *a it been confirme , it woul be the strongest non,torna ic win ever recor e on the !arth6s surface, but the rea ing ha to be iscar e since the anemometer was amage by the storm$"111# In a ition to being the most intense tro'ical cyclone on recor , %i' was the largest cyclone on recor , with tro'ical storm,force win s 2,17: (ilometres ;1,-1: mi< in iameter$ %he smallest storm on recor , %ro'ical Storm 4arco, forme uring 9ctober 2::8, an ma e lan fall in Leracru&$"112# *urricane Iohn is the longest,lasting tro'ical cyclone on recor , lasting -1 ays in 199.$ Before the a vent of satellite imagery in 1921, however, many tro'ical cyclones were un erestimate in their urations$"117# Iohn is the secon longest,trac(e tro'ical cyclone in the )orthern *emis'here on recor , behin %y'hoon 9'helia of 192:, which ha a 'ath of 8,1:: miles ;12,1:: (m<$ Deliable ata for Southern *emis'here cyclones is unavailable$"118# C an#es due to El ,i-o-Sout ern )scillation See also= !l )iKo,Southern 9scillation 4ost tro'ical cyclones form on the si e of the subtro'ical ri ge closer to the e8uator, then move 'olewar 'ast the ri ge a/is before recurving into the main belt of the 0esterlies$"119# 0hen the subtro'ical ri ge 'osition shifts ue to !l )ino, so will the 'referre tro'ical cyclone trac(s$ 5reas west of Ia'an an Eorea ten to e/'erience much fewer Se'tember,)ovember tro'ical cyclone im'acts uring !l )iKo an neutral years$ Furing !l )iKo years, the brea( in the subtro'ical ri ge ten s to lie near 1-:J! which woul favor the Ia'anese archi'elago$"12:# Furing !l )iKo years, Huam6s chance of a tro'ical cyclone im'act is one,thir of the long term average$"121# %he tro'ical 5tlantic ocean e/'eriences e'resse activity ue to increase vertical win shear across the region uring !l )iKo years$"122# Furing +a )iKa years, the formation of tro'ical cyclones, along with the subtro'ical ri ge 'osition, shifts westwar across the western Pacific ocean, which increases the lan fall threat to 3hina$"12:# $on#-term activity trends

5tlantic 4ulti eca al 3ycle since 191:, using accumulate cyclone energy ;53!<

5tlantic 4ulti eca al 9scillation %imeseries, 1812O2::8 See also= 5tlantic hurricane reanalysis 0hile the number of storms in the 5tlantic has increase since 1991, there is no obvious global tren G the annual number of tro'ical cyclones worl wi e remains about 87 ] 1:$ *owever, the ability of climatologists to ma(e long,term ata analysis in certain basins is limite by the lac( of reliable historical ata in some basins, 'rimarily in the Southern *emis'here$"12-# In s'ite of that, there is some evi ence that the intensity of hurricanes is increasing$ Eerry !manuel state , CDecor s of hurricane activity worl wi e show an u'swing of both the ma/imum win s'ee in an the uration of hurricanes$ %he energy release by the average hurricane ;again consi ering all hurricanes worl wi e< seems to have increase by aroun 7:Q in the 'ast -: years or so, corres'on ing to about a 11Q increase in the ma/imum win s'ee an a 2:Q increase in storm lifetime$C"12.# 5tlantic storms are becoming more estructive financially, since five of the ten most e/'ensive storms in ?nite States history have occurre since 199:$ 5ccor ing to the 0orl 4eteorological 9rgani&ation, @recent increase in societal im'act from tro'ical cyclones has largely been cause by rising concentrations of 'o'ulation an infrastructure in coastal regions$A"121# Piel(e et al. ;2::8< normali&e mainlan ?$S$ hurricane amage from 19::O2::1 to 2::1 values an foun no remaining tren of increasing absolute amage$ %he 197:s an 198:s were notable because of the e/tremely low amounts of amage com'are to other eca es$ %he eca e 1992O2::1 was the secon most amaging among the 'ast 11 eca es, with only the eca e 1922O19-1 sur'assing its costs$ %he most amaging single storm is the 1922 4iami hurricane, with \117 billion of normali&e amage$"122# 9ften in 'art because of the threat of hurricanes, many coastal regions ha s'arse 'o'ulation between ma7or 'orts until the a vent of automobile tourismG therefore, the most severe 'ortions of hurricanes stri(ing the coast may have gone unmeasure in some instances$ %he combine effects of shi' estruction an remote lan fall severely limit the number of intense hurricanes in the official recor before the era of hurricane reconnaissance aircraft an satellite meteorology$ 5lthough the recor shows a istinct increase in the number an strength of intense hurricanes, therefore, e/'erts regar the early ata as sus'ect$"127# %he number an strength of 5tlantic hurricanes may un ergo a 1:O7: year cycle, also (nown as the 5tlantic 4ulti eca al 9scillation$ )yberg et al. reconstructe 5tlantic ma7or hurricane activity bac( to the early 18th century an foun five 'erio s averaging -O1 ma7or hurricanes 'er year an lasting .:O 2: years, an si/ other averaging 1$1O2$1 ma7or hurricanes 'er year an lasting 1:O2: years$ %hese 'erio s are associate with the 5tlantic multi eca al oscillation$ %hroughout, a eca al oscillation

relate to solar irra iance was res'onsible for enhancingB am'ening the number of ma7or hurricanes by 1O2 'er year$"128# 5lthough more common since 1991, few above,normal hurricane seasons occurre uring 197:O9.$"129# Festructive hurricanes struc( fre8uently from 1922O2:, inclu ing many ma7or )ew !nglan hurricanes$ %wenty,one 5tlantic tro'ical storms forme in 19--, a recor only recently e/cee e in 2::1, which saw 28 storms$ %ro'ical hurricanes occurre infre8uently uring the seasons of 19::O21G however, many intense storms forme uring 187:O99$ Furing the 1887 season, 19 tro'ical storms forme , of which a recor . occurre after 1 )ovember an 11 strengthene into hurricanes$ Few hurricanes occurre in the 18.:s to 182:sG however, many struc( in the early 19th century, inclu ing a 1821 storm that ma e a irect hit on )ew ^or( 3ity$ Some historical weather e/'erts say these storms may have been as high as 3ategory . in strength$"1-:# %hese active hurricane seasons 're ate satellite coverage of the 5tlantic basin$ Before the satellite era began in 192:, tro'ical storms or hurricanes went un etecte unless a reconnaissance aircraft encountere one, a shi' re'orte a voyage through the storm, or a storm hit lan in a 'o'ulate area$"127# %he official recor , therefore, coul miss storms in which no shi' e/'erience gale,force win s, recogni&e it as a tro'ical storm ;as o''ose to a high,latitu e e/tra,tro'ical cyclone, a tro'ical wave, or a brief s8uall<, returne to 'ort, an re'orte the e/'erience$ Pro/y recor s base on 'aleotem'estological research have reveale that ma7or hurricane activity along the Hulf of 4e/ico coast varies on timescales of centuries to millennia$"1-1#"1-2# Few ma7or hurricanes struc( the Hulf coast uring -:::O1.:: B3 an again uring the most recent millennium$ %hese 8uiescent intervals were se'arate by a hy'eractive 'erio uring 1.:: B3 an 1::: 5F, when the Hulf coast was struc( fre8uently by catastro'hic hurricanes an their lan fall 'robabilities increase by -O1 times$ %his millennial,scale variability has been attribute to long,term shifts in the 'osition of the 5&ores *igh,"1-2# which may also be lin(e to changes in the strength of the )orth 5tlantic 9scillation$
"1--#

5ccor ing to the 5&ores *igh hy'othesis, an anti,'hase 'attern is e/'ecte to e/ist between the Hulf of 4e/ico coast an the 5tlantic coast$ Furing the 8uiescent 'erio s, a more northeasterly 'osition of the 5&ores *igh woul result in more hurricanes being steere towar s the 5tlantic coast$ Furing the hy'eractive 'erio , more hurricanes were steere towar s the Hulf coast as the 5&ores *igh was shifte to a more southwesterly 'osition near the 3aribbean$ Such a is'lacement of the 5&ores *igh is consistent with 'aleoclimatic evi ence that shows an abru't onset of a rier climate in *aiti aroun -2:: 1. 3 years BP,"1-.# an a change towar s more humi con itions in the Hreat Plains uring the late, *olocene as more moisture was 'um'e u' the 4ississi''i Lalley through the Hulf coast$ Preliminary ata from the northern 5tlantic coast seem to su''ort the 5&ores *igh hy'othesis$ 5 -:::,year 'ro/y recor from a coastal la(e in 3a'e 3o suggests that hurricane activity increase significantly uring the 'ast 1::O1::: years, 7ust as the Hulf coast was ami a 8uiescent 'erio of the last millennium$ .lobal warmin# See also= !ffects of global warming %he ?$S$ )ational 9ceanic an 5tmos'heric 5 ministration Heo'hysical Flui Fynamics +aboratory 'erforme a simulation to etermine if there is a statistical tren in the fre8uency or strength of tro'ical cyclones over time$ %he simulation conclu e Cthe strongest hurricanes in the 'resent climate may be u'stage by even more intense hurricanes over the ne/t century as the earth6s climate is warme by increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmos'hereC$"1-1# In an article in #ature, Eerry !manuel state that 'otential hurricane estructiveness, a measure combining hurricane strength, uration, an fre8uency, Cis highly correlate with tro'ical sea surface tem'erature, reflecting well, ocumente climate signals, inclu ing multi eca al oscillations in the

)orth 5tlantic an )orth Pacific, an global warmingC$ !manuel 're icte Ca substantial increase in hurricane,relate losses in the twenty,first centuryC$"1-2# In more recent wor( 'ublishe by !manuel ;in the 4arch 2::8 issue of the $ulletin of the %merican &eteorolo'ical Society<, he states that new climate mo eling ata in icates @global warming shoul re uce the global fre8uency of hurricanes$A"1-7# %he new wor( suggests that, even in a ramatically warming worl , hurricane fre8uency an intensity may not substantially rise uring the ne/t two centuries$"1-8# Similarly, P$I$ 0ebster an others 'ublishe an article in Science e/amining the Cchanges in tro'ical cyclone number, uration, an intensityC over the 'ast -1 years, the 'erio when satellite ata has been available$ %heir main fin ing was although the number of cyclones ecrease throughout the 'lanet e/clu ing the north 5tlantic 9cean, there was a great increase in the number an 'ro'ortion of very strong cyclones$"1-9# /elated cyclone types

Subtro'ical Storm Hustav in 2::2 See also= 3yclone, !/tratro'ical cyclone, an Subtro'ical cyclone