Tropical cyclones

Tropical Cyclones

A tropical cyclone, also called typhoon or hurricane, is a  storm that originates over warm tropical oceans and has low atmospheric pressure,also a lot of wind and heavy rain.

The cyclones have differents names in the world, for example in the Atlantic or the eastern Pacific Ocean they are called “Hurricanes”.  In the western North Pacific and Philippines, they are called “Typhoons”, and in India and the South Pacific Ocean are called cyclones.

Since 1953, the Tropical Prediction Centre has produced lists of names for cyclones As a tropical depression develops into a tropical storm, it is given the next available name on the list, which is prepared in alphabetical order and alternates from between male and female names. If the cyclone causes  a lot of damage for example lots of deaths, the cyclone’s name is removed from the list and they never use it again.

Names used between 2017 and 2018:

• Cempaka
• Dahlia
• Hilda
• Irving
• Joyce
• Kelvin
• Linda
• Marcus
• Nora

Weather conditions:

1. Warm ocean Waters upper 50 m of the tropical ocean must be present.  The heat in these warm waters is necessary to fuel the tropical cyclone.
2. The atmosphere must cool fast enough with height, that it is unstable to moist convection. The thunderstorm activity which allows the heat stored in the ocean waters to be liberated and used for tropical cyclone development.

Cyclon Scale:

This scale shows the different categories of the cyclones, from the category 1 that is the one that causes minimal damages shown in green to the category 5 that is the one that causes catastrophic damages, with wind speeds that are higher than 155 which is shown in red.

The main effects of tropical cyclones include heavy rain, strong wind, storms, and tornadoes. All the damage caused by a tropical cyclone depends on its intensity, its size, and its location. Tropical cyclones can change the landscape near coastal areas, by moving sand dunes and causing  erosion along the coast.

Also, the cyclones causes a lot of damages to people and transportation or communication are destroyed, including houses and streets . Two million people have died globally due to tropical cyclones.

Steps to reduce the effects:

1. Cut down trees throughout the year and remove any dead branches.

2. Cover the windows with wood board, so that nobody gets hurt in case of a broken window.
3. Practice an evacuation plan so that you know what you'll be doing and where you'll be going if an evacuation is ordered for your area.

Preparing a Supply Kit:

1. Keep food and water for all your family.
2. Prepare a  battery-powered radio and several flashlights, with matching batteries to know what is happening outside.
3. Put sand bags under the doors to prevent that the water could enter to the house.