Hurricane, Tropical Cyclone or Typhones

After Hurricane Sandy, people has been more aware of Hurricanes again. But what's actually a hurricane? You might think it's about the strength of the wind, you're partially correct. It's more complex than that.

A Hurricane is a tropical revolving storm with a warm core.  That's driven by heat from the warm water, which is partially why it has a warm core. This warm core are also partially the reason why they can be so strong. Everyone has heard about the eye, which are the calm and clear center of the storm. To explain this a little further, think about and engine. Instead of gasoline, warm water is the fuel and it's a bit more effective. The calm and dry center is the heat sink, where air that been used land up in, through a slow sinking motion.


The reason behind all the different name is pretty simple, it all depends on where the tropical cyclone can be found. We have hurricane around America, around Japan, China, Indonesia and Northern Australia it's called Typhoons and Tropical Cyclones in the rest of the areas where they can be found.

We have mainly six birth grounds for hurricanes (North Atlantic and Caribbean, Northwest Pacific, Northeast Pacific, Southwest, Southern Indian Ocean and Northern Indian Ocean). Pacific those places are active during a couple of months per year. Most of the Americans know that hurricanes are active during June/August to October. But depending on the water temperature hurricanes can be developed later or earlier.

Here is the time of year when and where hurricanes usually are active:

Northern Tropical Atlantic and Caribbean: June to October
Northwest Tropical Pacific: Mars to December
Northeast Tropical Pacific: June to October
Southwest Tropical Pacific: December to April
South Indian Ocean: November to April
North Indian Ocean: April to May

Those months are when the ocean temperature are most favorable for hurricanes. Which usually means water temperature above 27 degrees Celsius.  And these places are where the environment are the most favorable for hurricane development.

Back to Sandy, I think most of you that reads this already know why it get to be that devastating. But it was mainly because it was really large and that the atmospheric situations forced Sandy to take the track it took.

Hope you liked this post, please comment or Tweet if you have a question about this post.

//Osced