5.3.1

Formation of Tropical Storms

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Formation of Tropical Storms

Tropical storms form over water that is 26.5oC or warmer and when there's a small difference in wind speeds between the upper atmosphere and the lower atmosphere.

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When do tropical storms form?

  • Tropical storms form over water that is 26.5oC or warmer.
  • Lots and lots of energy is released when air evaporates, rises or cools. This increases the speed and energy of a storm.
  • The strength of a storm falls as they move further away from warm water (so when storms are above land or above cooler parts of the ocean).
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Why do tropical storms move west?

  • Near the equator, surface winds are mainly trade winds moving east.
  • The trade winds and something called the Coriolis Effect mean that tropical storms move from east to west.
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Spin

  • The rotation of the Earth causes the Coriolis effect, which makes tropical storms spin by deflecting winds.

Tropical Storms

Tropical storms develop over water that is 26.5°C or warmer and when there's a small difference in wind speeds between the upper and lower atmosphere.

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Warm water

  • Tropical storms form over water that's 26.5°C or warmer.
  • These temperatures are favourable because they mean there's lots of warm, moist air to cause extreme rain.
  • Energy from warm water intensifies storms.
  • Storm strength dissipates when they move over land or cool water. Changing wind speeds can also cause dissipation.
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Westward movement

  • Near the equator, winds are mainly easterlies and so tropical storms usually move west.
  • Further from the equator, storms may start to curve to the east because of mid-latitude westerlies.
Illustrative background for SpinIllustrative background for Spin ?? "content

Spin

  • The rotation of the Earth causes storms to spin by deflecting the winds.
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Source areas

  • The source area for most storms is between 5o and 30o north and south because the water is below 26.5oC further from the equator.

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1Geography Skills

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3Geography of the World

4Development

5Weather & Climate

6The World of Work

7Natural Resources

8Rivers

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11Tectonics

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13Global Population & Inequality

14Urbanisation

15Ecosystems

16Life in an Emerging Country

17Analysis of Africa

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20Analysis of Bangladesh

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