Hurricanes

Hurricanes arise when a cluster of tropical thunderstorms forms a low-pressure system with winds blowing in from the surrounding locations. The Coriolis force, a “fictitious” force caused by the Earth’s rotation, bends these winds into a rotating system that rotates counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern.

Hurricanes acquire their energy from the latent heat of water, which is released at a rate of 2500 K joule/kilogrammewhen water vapour condenses (the release of the energy needed to evaporate the water).

Hurricane

Hurricanes are the most powerful storms that cause the most property destruction and damage to humans. Hurricanes are the most intense storms in nature, causing tremendous winds, heavy rainfall, and flooding. These storms are particularly deadly because they combine three hazards: powerful winds, extremely high waves, and torrential rains. These have the potential to do serious harm to people and property. Hurricanes create extensive devastation and significant financial losses.

Typhoons, hurricanes, and cyclones are all distinct names for the same storm. The names varied depending on where they came from. They are known as “hurricanes” in the central and eastern parts of the North Pacific. Typhoons occur in the western North Pacific, while cyclones occur in the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific.

Tropical cyclones, which are commonly known as “hurricanes,” are low-pressure wind systems that form over tropical or subtropical oceans and are fueled by warm water temperatures. A hurricane is a low-pressure weather phenomenon that includes thunderstorms but lacks fronts, or a division that separates air masses of different densities.

Important Concepts of Hurricane

Sustained Winds: A frequent indicator of the storm’s intensity is sustained wind. The World Meteorological Organization’s definitions are used by the majority of weather agencies (WMO). The United States Weather Service, on the other hand, has its own definition and employs it.

Eye: The hurricane’s eye is its focal point. The eye is a zone with extremely low air pressure. In the eye, there are no clouds and the breeze is quiet. The storm’s eye is the most deadly region. Rainbands – Hurricanes have wide spiral bands of rain that can drop a massive amount of rain, causing flooding when it lands.

Diameter: A hurricane’s diameter can be exceeding 600 miles in circumference. From one side to the other, we take measurements.

Height: A powerful Hurricane can grow to a height of up to nine miles in the atmosphere.

Formation of Hurricanes

Hurricanes, also known as tropical cyclones, are massive engines that produce fuel from warm, wet air. As a result, tropical cyclones occur around the equator over warm water oceans. The moist air from the warm water seas rises to the surface, and as it rises and moves closer to the surface, less air is left near the surface. As a result, a low-pressure zone forms below.

Air from adjacent locations, combined with higher pressure, exerts pressure and pushes towards the low-pressure zone. The “new” air now becomes naturally warm and moist and rises to. The term “fresh air” here refers to air that has pushed its way into the low-pressure zone.

The warm air is still rising. As a result, cool air from the surroundings rushes in to take its place. As the wet air rises and cools, clouds are created. As the ocean’s heat and water evaporate from the surface, the entire system of clouds and winds develops and swirls.

It’s also important to remember that storms north of the equator rotate counter clockwise, while those south of the equator spin clockwise. The rotation of the Earth on its axis causes this phenomenon. Now, as the storm system accelerates, an eye forms in the storm’s centre. The spinning storm is classified as a “tropical storm” when the wind speed hits 39 mph.  When the storm exceeds 74 mph, it is officially designated as a “Hurricane.”

Causes of hurricane

Warm ocean, moist warm air, and weak upper-level winds combine to create hurricanes. When warm, moist air rises quickly from the ocean’s surface and collides with cooler air, hurricanes arise. The warm water vapour condenses as a result of the contact, eventually generating storm clouds and rain. Latent heat is released during the condensation process. The latent heat warms the cool air above, causing it to rise and make space for warmer, humid air from beneath the sea.

As the storm intensifies, more warm wet air is drawn in, and significantly more heat is transferred from the ocean surface to the atmosphere. This continual heat exchange creates a wind pattern that resembles water whirling down a drain, swirling around a relatively calm centre.

 If conditions remain unchanged, which implies there is adequate fuel for the storm to develop further, the spinning storm will continue to strengthen, eventually becoming a hurricane. When a hurricane continues to strengthen and becomes powerful enough, an opening known as the eye forms in the centre.

Examples of hurricane 

The examples of hurricanes are: Danny (1985), Erin(1995, Katrina (2005) and so on.

Conclusion

Hurricanes arise when a cluster of tropical thunderstorms forms a low-pressure system with winds blowing in from the surrounding locations Hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones are all terms used to describe the same type of storm. Hurricanes, also known as tropical cyclones, are massive engines that produce fuel from warm, wet air. Hurricanes are formed by a combination of warm water, moist warm air, and weak upper-level winds. When a storm reaches 74 miles per hour, it is officially listed as a “Hurricane.”