CGP Storm Hazards

• Tropical Storms

  • Form over warm water in the tropics
  • Lots of water will evaporate
  • Area of low pressure
  • Coriolis effect caused by the Earth
  • Deflects the path of the storm
  • Weak at the equator and stronger at higher latitudes
  • Warm and cold fronts
  • Forced by the ITCZ or along the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn
  • Don't form either side of the equator
  • Spin clockwise in the southern hemisphere and anticlockwise in the northern hemisphere
• Eye


  Area of very low pressure at the center of the storm
• Eyewall


  Area around the eye with the strongest winds
• Outflow


  Outward flow of moisture-laden air near the top of the storm, creating cloud cover
• Saffir-Simpson Scale


  Classifies tropical storms based on wind speed, with Category 5 being the strongest
• Tropical storms are quite frequent, with around one hundred occurring each year
• Storms are more frequent in the northern hemisphere between June and November, and in the southern hemisphere between November and April
• The hazards created by storms are largely irregular and follow no clear spatial or temporal pattern
• Certain cloud formations in tropical areas can be identified from satellite imagery and used to tell when a tropical storm is forming
• The path of a tropical storm can be predicted fairly accurately using satellite imagery and models
• Storm Hazards

  • High winds
  • Storm surges
  • Heavy rain
  • Flooding
  • Landslides