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version 4.11
June 1, 2018

A : BASIC DEFINITIONS

Text version of BASIC DEFINITIONS

• A1) What is a hurricane, typhoon, or tropical cyclone?


• A2) What is "Cape Verde" hurricane?


• A3) What is a super-typhoon? What is a major hurricane ? What is an intense hurricane ?


• A4) What is an easterly wave and what causes them?


• A5) What is a tropical disturbance, tropical depression, tropical storm?


• A6) What is a sub-tropical cyclone?


• A7) What is an extratropical cyclone ?


• A8) What is storm surge and how is it different from storm tide ?


• A9) What is a "CDO" ?


• A10) What is a TUTT ?


• A11) What is the "eye" ? How is it formed and maintained ? What is the "eyewall" ? What are "spiral bands" ?
  
• A12) What is a moat in a hurricane ?


• A13) What is UTC, GMT, Z, or Zulu Time ? How do I tell at what time a satellite picture was taken ?


• A14) How do I convert from mph to knots (or m/s), from inches of mercury to millibars (or hPa), or from degrees of latitude to miles (or kilometers) ?


• A15) How do tropical cyclones form ?


• A16) Why do tropical cyclones require at least 80°F ocean temperatures to form ?


• A17) What is the Saharan Air Layer (SAL) ? How does it affect tropical cyclones ?


• A18) What is a neutercane ?


• A19) What does ATCF stand for and how are tropical cyclones numbered?


• A20) What does AL90, AL91, or 92L refer to in the tropical discussions?


• A21) What is a 'post-tropical cyclone', 'remnant low', or 'potential tropical cyclone'? Revised

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