Tropical cyclone

A rotating low-pressure storm that forms over warm tropical or subtropical waters, with organized thunderstorms and a closed surface circulation. Its regional names include hurricane, typhoon, and cyclone.

Coriolis effect: The apparent deflection of moving air and water caused by Earth’s rotation. It helps organize a storm’s circulation, though it is too weak near the equator for cyclones to form there.
Tropical cyclone forecasting: The prediction of a tropical cyclone’s track, intensity, structure, and impacts. Forecasts estimate where the storm will go and how strong it may become.
Hurricane: A tropical cyclone with sustained winds of at least 64 knots in the Atlantic or northeastern Pacific. It is the regional name used for qualifying tropical cyclones in these basins.
Hurricane Katrina: The 2005 Atlantic hurricane that caused catastrophic flooding and destruction along the United States Gulf Coast. Its levee failures and storm surge exposed the consequences of infrastructure and evacuation failures.
Tropical cyclones and climate change: The study of how climate change affects tropical cyclone formation, intensity, rainfall, and impacts. Research distinguishes robust changes in rainfall and intensity from less certain changes in storm frequency.
Latent heat: Energy absorbed or released during a change of state without a change in temperature. Condensation in thunderstorms releases heat that helps sustain the cyclone’s warm core.
Hurricane warning: An official alert that hurricane conditions are expected in a specified area. Warnings prompt protective action before destructive winds arrive.
Typhoon: A tropical cyclone with sustained winds of at least 64 knots in the northwestern Pacific. It names the same kind of storm in a different ocean basin.
Cyclone Nargis: The 2008 tropical cyclone that devastated Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Delta and killed tens of thousands. Its disaster showed how exposure and limited warning access magnify storm impacts.
Rapid intensification: A substantial increase in a tropical cyclone’s maximum sustained winds over a short period. Its timing and causes remain difficult to predict accurately.

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