Portal:Tropical cyclones

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Tropical cyclones Portal

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A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones feed on heat released when moist air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor contained in the moist air. They are fueled by a different heat mechanism than other cyclonic windstorms such as nor'easters, European windstorms, and polar lows, leading to their classification as "warm core" storm systems. Tropical cyclones originate in the doldrums near the equator, about 10° away from it.

The term "tropical" refers to both the geographic origin of these systems, which form almost exclusively in tropical regions of the globe, and their formation in maritime tropical air masses. The term "cyclone" refers to such storms' cyclonic nature, with counterclockwise rotation in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise rotation in the Southern Hemisphere. Depending on its location and strength, a tropical cyclone is referred to by names such as hurricane, typhoon, tropical storm, cyclonic storm, tropical depression, and simply cyclone.

Pictured: Cyclone Gafilo

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The meteorological history of Hurricane Wilma, the most intense known tropical cyclone in the Western Hemisphere, began in the second week of October 2005. A large area of disturbed weather developed across much of the Caribbean Sea and gradually organized to the southeast of Jamaica. By late on October 15, the system was sufficiently organized for the National Hurricane Center to designate it as Tropical Depression Twenty-Four.

The depression drifted southwestward, and under favorable conditions, it strengthened into Tropical Storm Wilma on October 17. Initially, development was slow due to its large size, though convection steadily organized. From October 18, and through the following day, Wilma underwent explosive deepening over the open waters of the Caribbean; in a 30-hour period, the system's central atmospheric pressure dropped from 982 mbar (29.00 inHg) to the record-low value of 882 mbar (26.05 inHg), while the winds increased to 185 mph (300 km/h). At its peak intensity, the pinhole eye of Wilma was about 3 miles (5 km) in diameter, the smallest known eye in an Atlantic hurricane. After the inner eye dissipated due to an eyewall replacement cycle, Wilma weakened to Category 4 status, and on October 21, it made landfall on Cozumel and on the Mexican mainland with winds of about 150 mph (240 km/h).

Wilma weakened over the Yucatán Peninsula, and reached the southern Gulf of Mexico before accelerating northeastward. Despite increasing amounts of wind shear, the hurricane re-strengthened to hit Cape Romano, Florida as a major hurricane. Wilma weakened as it quickly crossed the state, and entered the Atlantic Ocean near Jupiter, Florida. The hurricane again re-intensified before cold air and wind shear penetrated the inner core of convection. On October 26, it transitioned into an extratropical cyclone, and the next day, the remnants of Wilma were absorbed by another extratropical storm over Atlantic Canada.

Recently featured: Hurricane Kenna — Hurricane Isabel — Hurricane Iwa — Tropical Storm Bilis – Hurricane Pauline – Browse

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Satellite image of Hurricane Rita in the central Gulf of Mexico while near peak intensity; within hours the hurricane would attain a minimum pressure of 895 mbar, which was the lowest recorded pressure on record in the Gulf of Mexico.

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WikiProjects

WikiProject Tropical cyclones is the central point of coordination for Wikipedia's coverage of tropical cyclones. Feel free to help!

WikiProject Meteorology is the main center point of coordination for Wikipedia's coverage of meteorology in general.

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Related Portals

Science	Earth sciences	Weather

Atmospheric sciences	Energy	Physics

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Active tropical cyclones

North Atlantic (2010)

Tropical Storm Hermine

East/Central Pacific (2010)

No active systems.

Northwest Pacific (2010)

Tropical Storm Malou

North Indian Ocean (2010)

No active systems.

South-West Indian Ocean (2010–2011)

No active systems.

Australian region (2010–2011)

No active systems.

South Pacific (2010–2011)

No active systems.

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Did you know...

... that RSMC Nadi only started to assign the letter F to disturbances in their area of responsibility at the start of the 1998-99 South Pacific cyclone season.
... that Tropical Storm Hazel in 1965 was a deadly Pacific tropical storm only 11 years after the deadly Hurricane Hazel in the Atlantic.
... that Hurricane Olivia was named when it was a depression?
... that Hurricane Irene–Olivia was the first recorded tropical cyclone that moved into the eastern Pacific Ocean from the Atlantic basin?

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Tropical cyclone anniversaries

September 10, 2003 - Typhoon Maemi (pictured) reached its peak strength to the east of Taiwan. Maemi killed 115 and caused over $4 billion in damage, mostly in South Korea.
September 9, 1965 - Hurricane Betsy hit Louisiana as a Category 3 hurricane, flooding much of New Orleans. Betsy was the first hurricane to cause over $1 billion of damages.
September 8, 1900 - The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 struck Galveston, Texas, (pictured) with winds in excess of 150 mph (240 km/h). The hurricane is the deadliest in the history of the United States and killed over 8000 people.
September 7, 2004 - Hurricane Ivan (pictured) passed just to the north of Grenada causing over $800 million of damage on the island. Ivan caused a total of over $16 billion of damage, mostly in the United States.
September 6, 1776 - The 1776 Pointe-à-Pitre hurricane hit Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe killing about 6000 people.