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Understanding tropical cyclone movement is crucial for predicting their paths and potential impacts. These weather systems, driven by environmental steering, trade winds, and atmospheric conditions, can cause severe threats like storm surges and high winds. The text explores factors like beta drift, the Fujiwhara effect, and interactions with mid-latitude weather systems that influence cyclone trajectories and intensity.
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The direction of a tropical cyclone is primarily determined by the environmental steering, which is influenced by the prevailing winds and atmospheric conditions
Persistent easterly winds
The trade winds, which are persistent easterly winds, play a significant role in steering tropical cyclones
Movement of tropical easterly waves
In the Atlantic and Northeast Pacific, the trade winds can carry tropical easterly waves from Africa towards the Caribbean and North America, potentially developing into cyclones
In the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific, the Intertropical Convergence Zone and monsoon trough have a more prominent role in steering tropical cyclones
Beta drift is a secondary motion that causes tropical cyclones to move poleward and westward due to the interaction between the cyclone's rotating system and the change in the Coriolis force with latitude
The magnitude of beta drift is more pronounced in stronger cyclones and at higher latitudes
Beta drift occurs independently of environmental steering and is more noticeable in larger cyclones
The Fujiwhara effect describes the interaction between two proximate cyclones, causing them to orbit around a common center and potentially altering their movement and intensity
Tropical cyclones may undergo a change in their track, known as recurvature, as they move poleward and encounter mid-latitude weather systems, which can significantly affect their path and potential impact on land
Tropical cyclones pose severe threats at sea and on land, including large waves, heavy rain, strong winds, and storm surge
The storm surge, a rise in sea level induced by the cyclone's pressure and wind, is often the most dangerous effect of tropical cyclones, causing the majority of fatalities
Tropical cyclones can also create rip currents and undertow, endangering coastal regions even far from the storm's center
00
______, also known as hurricanes or typhoons, feature powerful winds and significant precipitation.
Tropical cyclones
01
Forecasting the course of these weather systems is challenging due to the ______ nature of the winds at different heights.
variable
02
Role of subtropical ridge in cyclone movement
Subtropical ridge, a high-pressure zone, typically directs cyclones westward below it due to easterly trade winds.
