Tropical Revolving Storms

Tropical Cyclogenesis

Warm ocean waters - at least 26.5C

throughout a depth of 50m
Unstable/moist atmosphere - rapid cooling
with height
Moist layers near the mid-troposhere
At least 500km from the Equator with
sufficient Coriolis force to provide
geostrophic rotation
 Tropical Cyclogenesis

Pre-existing near-surface disturbance with

sufficient vorticity & convergence
Low levels of vertical windshear between
the surface and upper troposphere
 Tropical Cyclones
Low pressure systems deriving energy primarily
from evaporation from a warm sea
Associated with high winds, lowered pressure and
convective clouds concentrated around the centre
A tropical cyclone is the generic term for a non-
frontal synoptic scale low-pressure system over
tropical or sub- tropical waters with organised
convection (i.e. thunderstorm activity) and definite
cyclonic surface wind circulation
 The storms tend to affect certain areas:
They occur mainly on the western edge of oceans
after the winds have had a long sea track and the
air has acquired a large amount of moisture.
They occur in the summer hemisphere in areas
where the ITCZ has reached a latitude of 10N or S
or greater and where there is sufficient
geostrophic force to produce cyclonic rotation.
They do not originate over land.
 The terms "hurricane" and "typhoon" are regionally
specific names for a strong "tropical cyclone".
Tropical cyclones with maximum sustained surface
winds of less than 17 m/s (34 kt) are called "tropical
depressions".
 Typical tropical cyclones have an eye in the centre.
- The "eye" = roughly circular area of comparatively
light winds and fair weather, approx. 30-60km dia.
- Calm winds at the axis of rotation, but strong winds
may extend well into the eye.
- Little or no precipitation and sometimes blue sky or
stars can be seen.
- The eye is composed of air that is slowly sinking.
 Once the tropical cyclone reaches sustained winds of
at least 17 m/s (34 kt) they are typically called a
"tropical storm" and assigned a name.
 If winds reach 33 m/s (64 kt), then they are called:

"hurricane"
(the North Atlantic Ocean, the Northeast
Pacific Ocean east of the dateline, or the
South Pacific Ocean east of 160E);
"typhoon"
(the Northwest Pacific Ocean west of the
dateline);
 "severe tropical cyclone"
(the Southwest Pacific Ocean west of 160E
or Southeast Indian Ocean east of 90E);
"severe cyclonic storm"
(the North Indian Ocean);
a "tropical cyclone"
(the Southwest Indian Ocean near
Madagascar)
 In West Africa the squally trough is known
locally as a tornado but is not to be confused with
a tornado as described in Chapter 16.
 TRS Names

From 1979 individual storms were

allocated
alternate male and female first names
alphabetically starting with A at the
beginning
of each storm season (e.g. Alfred,
Barbara,
Charles, etc.)
 TRS Names

In the Northwest Pacific basin, Asian

names are selected by members of the
WMO Typhoon Committee.
N. Indian Ocean storms are allocated
numbers
 Weather associated with a TRS

Very strong to extreme wind conditions

All hazards associated with TS activity
Severe pressure disturbances making
pressure instruments unreliable
Torrential rain
Calm eye with subsidence
 Weather associated with a TRS

Anticylonic outflow above the storm with

subsidence and fine weather around the
edges giving a deceptive calm before
the storm
Increasing sea swell as the storm
approaches
TRS Tracks and Seasons

HURRICANES
CYCLONES
(July - Oct)
(May - Oct)

TYPHOONS
(May - Nov)

CYCLONES
(Dec - April)

CYCLONES
(Nov - May)
 Frequency of Tropical Cyclones
Tropical Storm/Cyclone averages for the various areas
are:
N.W.Pacific (South China Sea) about 25 times per
season,
Atlantic about 9 -10 times per season
N.E. Pacific (Coast of Central America) about 16 -17
times per season
 Frequency of Tropical Cyclones
N. Indian (Gulf of Arabia and Bay of Bengal); 5 - 6
times per season.
S.W. Indian Ocean (Madagascar) about 10 - 11 times
per season.
S.E. Indian Ocean (W. Australia) about 7 times per
season.
S.W.Pacific (E. Australia) 9 times per season.
Global Average 84 - 85 per annum.
Easterly wave
 Easterly Waves

The equatorial trough is a permanent series of thermal

lows in a more or less continuous belt around the
earth.
On both sides of the equatorial low pressure belt,
troughs sometimes extend out towards the sub-tropical
high pressure belts.
These troughs, known as easterly waves, move
westwards under the influence of the easterly upper
winds.
 Easterly Waves

The Easterly waves are extremely important

phenomena since they are related to the
formation of hurricanes in the north Atlantic.
But not all easterly waves results in a violent
tropical revolving storm.
 Easterly Waves

Easterly waves are most frequent during late

summer when surface water temperature is
highest. They occur mainly in the western
parts of large ocean basins between 5 and
20 latitude.
 Easterly Waves

Easterly waves are usually very apparent over

West Africa where they can be seen from their
formation zone over Sudan/Ethiopia and
westwards.
Easterly Waves
 Easterly Waves

Clusters are often formed east of the Philippines

and north of New Guinea where the water is the
warmest, at about 30C.
This is also the area where most tropical
cyclones are generated in the world.
The clusters formed in this area move westward
towards Borneo but they seldom show the
typical characteristics of an Atlantic Easterly
wave.
 Storm Tracks
What determines the movement of tropical cyclones?
Generally tropical cyclones tend to follow the circulation around the sub-
tropical highs existing over the oceans.