Tropical Cyclone

To explain cyclones, Tropical cyclones are the most dangerous and intense storms that originate over warm oceans. Tropical cyclones are also called typhoons or hurricanes. Tropical cyclones draw energy from the sea surface and generate winds that can exceed up to 119kms. These storms sometimes generate strong winds known as the storm surge. This makes the cyclones hazardous for coastal areas and tropical areas of the world.

The real meaning stands as Tropical cyclones are low-pressure systems that form over warm water. They form mainly when the sea’s temperature is above 26.5 degrees. The cyclone can continue for many days or weeks. The cyclone dissipates only when it moves to cooler oceans.  To define a tropical cyclone, one can mention that Tropical cyclones are a non-frontal low-pressure system of scale developing over warm waters having organised convection and a maximum mean wind speed near the centre. 

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Types of Cyclones

A cyclone actually describes the weather system. Cyclones can be classified into various types. 

• Tropical Cyclone:  Tropical cyclone originates from the sea and forms a rotating pattern. It mainly originates over tropical and sub-tropical areas. The major basins for tropical cyclones are North Atlantic, East Pacific, west pacific, North Indian Ocean, Southwest Indian Ocean, Southern Pacific and Australian region. The tropical cyclones develop within 5 and 30 degrees of latitude. 

• Hurricanes, Typhoons and Tornadoes: Tropical cyclones are also called Hurricanes and Typhoons. The names can be confusing but every region specifies the names of the cyclones.  The North Atlantic and the Caribbean call cyclones “hurricanes.” The Northwest Pacific call it “typhoons,” while the Indian Ocean and South Pacific, it is called “tropical cyclones”. Tornadoes are usually smaller in size but have greater wind speeds. 

• Mesocyclones:  These are the strongest thunderstorms that generate the world’s strongest tornadoes. The US experiences this type of cyclone in a year which turns into Tornado eventually.

• Midlatitude or Extratropical Cyclones:  The cyclonic storms that develop in the frontal boundaries of the middle latitudes are known as “extratropical cyclones” or “midlatitude cyclones”. These cyclones evolve around where sharp temperature gradients exist between adjoining air masses. It can be much higher than normal cyclones but their winds are weaker. An example of the midlatitude cyclone is the “Nor’easter”.

• Arctic Hurricanes: The cyclones which have hurricane-like structures are called “polar lows”. These are formed occasionally over the Arctic and Antarctic seas. In the Northern Hemisphere, meteorologists sometimes call polar lows “Arctic hurricanes” because both their energy sources are somewhat similar to tropical cyclone’s. Arctic Hurricanes often form quickly. These are difficult to forecast as they can form within 24 hours.

How are Tropical Cyclones Formed?

Tropical cyclone formation occurs when a cluster of thunderstorms develops over warm tropical oceans and forms a pressure system. The cluster formed persists in an area of low pressure, starts to rotate. This forms the cyclone and gradually grows in size to sustain itself. The constant rotation develops tension and thus it becomes huge. Once developed, a tropical cyclone becomes a giant, atmospheric heat engine. The moisture is formed from the warm ocean. It acts as a fuel that generates energy as clouds form. They support the atmospheric heat pressure, as the condition persists, the tropical cyclone maintains its structure and intensifies over several days.

How are Cyclones Caused?

The tropical cyclone is caused by the warm water over the large water bodies. The air over the region warms up. Warm air is lighter in weight so it rises upwards and forms a huge mass of air creating an area of low pressure beneath it. The air then moves from the surrounding high-tension area to the low-pressure area. The rotation of the earth bends these currents of air towards the centre creating forces and causing cyclones. This pressure over the warm water becomes the main reason for cyclones to occur. 

Effects of Cyclone

The effects of cyclones are tremendous on the environment. Cyclones occur every year which affects a lot of countries. Not only loss of life but also material damage occurs due to strong winds and heavy rains. The effect of cyclones is hazardous over the coastal areas and islands. Heavy rain causes floods and landslides and strong winds create havoc on the environment. 

Strong winds damaged vehicles, destroy buildings, trees, personal property, roads and even bridges. The tropical cyclone can knock out people’s lives and can shake the population of the region. Due to cyclones, the increase in the sea level becomes worse than any other effect. The flooding of water causes the breaking of homes and damaging routes. The heavy rainfall causes flooding, landslides and mudslides. Heavy inland rainfall damages marine life. Post cyclone, there is the destruction of sanitation which can cause the spreading of diseases and even pollution. Cyclones can cause damage to natural resources too. Waves that accompany cyclones undersea, erode the shell deposits and break the corals near shore. Again, cyclones deposit layers of calcium carbonate in limestone caves. This damages the surface of the caves. Severe tropical cyclones defoliate the forest canopy trees and break the stems of the trees. This causes high damage to the trees as it causes tree falls. Apart from all these effects, cyclones also cause physical trauma to an individual and affect health conditions. 

If we check through the database, nearly one million people died due to tropical cyclones. This has happened as people started living in the coastal areas. Loss of human life is lesser in developed countries. Technology is evolving and we can determine the forecast now. But at the same time, the devastation has risen. The record of Hurricane Katrina is immense. Cyclone Katrina left a bill of at least 100 billion. Cyclone Honduras and Nicaragua had affected human lives to a large extent.  Recently, Amphan in West Bengal caused huge damage to the environment and people’s lives. It has been estimated by the state government that the storm caused nearly 1.02 trillion Indian Rupees damage. It also directly affected 70 per cent of the state's population.

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Characteristics of Tropical Cyclone 

A tropical cyclone has different names depending on its location and strength. Some of the most famous cyclone names are Yaas, Amphan, Taukte, Maha, Vayu, Fani, Bulbul, Nisarga and many others. Tropical cyclones are generally compact and circular winds. The wind rotates around a central region that has low atmospheric pressure. It is largely driven by the low-pressure centre and by the rotation of the Earth. cyclones also rotate in a counter-clockwise direction in the Northern Hemisphere and in a clockwise direction in the Southern Hemisphere. Cyclones can cause damage to the coral reefs but they are not massive.  

The portion of a tropical cyclone causes tension over the upper layers of the ocean. This can influence cyclone development. Cooling might come in the form of cold water from falling raindrops. Cloud cover also cools down the ocean by shielding the ocean surface from direct sunlight before and slightly after the storm passage.