Lesson 12: Background

Hurricanes (Huracan is the Taino god of the wind) and typhoons (Taifung is Chinese for "great wind") are both tropical cyclones; hurricanes occur in the Atlantic Ocean and typhoons in the Pacific Ocean. To qualify as a hurricane or typhoon a storm must have sustained winds exceeding 64 knots (74 miles per hour). Though the high winds inflict damage when these storms hit land, it is the huge waves, storm surge, and associated flooding that cause most of the destruction. These ferocious atmospheric storms cannot survive without the moisture supplied by warm ocean water. They are vivid examples of the coupling between the earth's oceans and atmosphere.

Tropical cyclones are large whirling storms that obtain their energy from warm ocean waters. They stand out on satellite photographs due to their circular cloud patterns and, in the stronger storms, a nearly clear eye at the center. The clarity and size of the eye on satellite images helps meteorologists estimate a cyclone's strength.

The surface pressure is related to the temperature of the

The eye of hurricane Iris

Dvorak technique

Surface pressure and thermal structure

Wake effects on water

Microwave Observations of Hurricanes

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