GEOGRAPHY

FORMATION OF HURRICANES

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FORMATION OF HURRICANES

Hurricane Formation

  • They occur over warm water which is 25.5 degrees centigrade or higher.
  • As a result of global warming, this means hurricanes could increase in frequency and stregth
  • As warm, moist air rises and condenses energy is released which increases wind speed
  • When they move over land they lose strength
  • They are located between 5 degrees and 30 degrees north and south of the equator because this is where the water is warm enough
  • They spin because of the Coriolis effect which deflects the path of the winds because of the Earth's rotation.
  • They don't occure 0-5 degrees of the equator because the Coriolis effect isn't strong enough
  • This effect is also why they move away from the equator. They move westwards due to the east-west winds in the tropics. E.g. trade winds move Atlantic hurricanes towards the Caribbean Sea. Hurricane Katrina 2005.
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