ATMO 336 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Tropical Cyclone, Trade Winds, Thunderstorm
1 Sep 2016
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Document Summary
The tropics: the region within 23. 5 latitude north and south of the equator. Daily surface heat and high humidity favor development of cumulus clouds and thunderstorms. Frequent showers with heavy rainfall are typical for these regions. Surface winds generally blow from east to northeast (northern hemisphere) or east to southeast (southern hemisphere) Between the two wind flows is an area of convergence known as the intratropical convergence zone (itcz) Has lower surface pressure along itcz and higher pressure to the north and south of itcz. Coriolis effect turns wind direction to the right of pressure gradient in northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere. Tropical storm: surface winds 39-74 mi/hr (storm is given a name) Typhoon in north pacific ocean west of dateline. Severe tropical cyclone in southwest pacific ocean and southeastern indian ocean. Tropical waves/easterly waves: a large undulation or ripple in the normal trade wind pattern that moves slowly from east to west.
