1.3.3

Physical Hazards of Tropical Cyclones

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Physical Hazards of Tropical Cyclones

Tropical cyclones cause many physical hazards when they hit human settlements. In the eyewall, winds are very strong and there is a lot of rain.

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High winds

  • In 2015, Hurricane Patricia recorded wind speeds of 215 miles per hour (346km/h).
  • This was the fastest wind speed ever.
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Intense rainfall

  • Tropical cyclones are capable of releasing trillions of litres of rain in a single day.
  • Such a large amount of rainfall can cause mudslides and landslides, which can fall on people, killing them, or destroy buildings.
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Storm surges

  • Storm surges are large sea level rises brought about by high winds and low pressure.
  • A storm surge happened in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit.
  • Storm surges lead the sea to flood coastal areas.

Jump to other topics

1Physical Geography

1.1River Environments

1.2Coastal Environments

1.3Hazardous Environments - Tropical Cyclones

1.4Hazardous Environments - Earthquakes & Volcanoes

2Human Geography

3Global Issues

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