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DAILY
CLASS NOTES
Geography

Lecture - 41
Cyclones
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Cyclones

Fronts:

 Understanding Front Formation and Types of Fronts is important to understand the formation
of Mid-latitude cyclones [temperate
cyclones or extra-tropical cyclones] and
the dominant weather patterns of
mid-latitudes.
 Fronts are the typical features of mid-
latitudes weather (temperate region –
30° - 65° North and South). They are
uncommon (unusual) in tropical and
polar regions.
 When two different types of air
masses meet, the boundary zone
between them is called a Front.
 A temperature difference is essential
in the definition of a front because it
implies a density difference.
 Front is a three-dimensional boundary zone formed between two converging air masses with
different physical properties (Temperature, Humidity, Density etc.).
 The two air masses don’t merge readily due to the effect of the converging atmospheric
circulation, relatively low diffusion coefficient and low thermal conductivity.
Front Formation:
 The process of formation of a front is known as Frontogenesis (war between two air masses), and
the dissipation of a front is known as Frontolysis (one of the air masses wins against the other).
 Frontogenesis involves the convergence of two distinct air masses.
 Frontolysis involves the overriding of one of the air masses by another.
 In the northern hemisphere, Frontogenesis (convergence of air masses) happens in an anti-
clockwise direction and in the southern hemisphere, clockwise direction. This is due to the
Coriolis effect.
 Mid-latitude cyclones or temperate cyclones or extra-tropical cyclones occur due to
frontogenesis.
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General Characteristics of Fronts:

 Large temperature difference: The temperature contrast influences the thickness of the
frontal zone in an inversely proportional manner, i.e., two air masses with higher temperature
differences do not merge readily. So the front formed is less thick.
 Pressure difference: With a sudden change in temperature through the front, there is a change in
pressure also. There is a bending of isobars.
 Cloud formation: The frontal activity is invariably associated with cloudiness and precipitation
because of the ascent of warm air which cools down
adiabatically, condenses and causes rainfall.
 Precipitation: The intensity of precipitation depends on
the slope of ascent and the amount of water vapour present
in ascending air.
Classification of Fronts:
 Based on the mechanism of frontogenesis and the
associated weather, the fronts can be studied under the
following types:
 Stationary Front
 Cold Front
 Warm Front
 Occluded Front
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Cold Front:
 Such a front is formed when a cold air mass replaces a warm air mass by advancing into it or
when the warm air mass retreats and cold air mass advances
(cold air mass is the clear winner).
 In such a situation, the transition zone between the two is a cold
front.
 Cold front moves twice as quickly as a warm front and can
produce sharper changes in weather conditions.
 Frontolysis begins when the warm air mass is completely uplifted by
the cold air mass.
 This upward motion causes lowered
pressure along the cold front and can
cause the formation of a narrow line
of showers and thunderstorms when
enough moisture is present.
 Since cold air is denser than
warm air, it rapidly replaces the
warm air preceding the
boundary.
 Cold fronts are usually associated
with low-pressure areas.
 It produces sharper changes in
weather. Temperatures can drop
more than 15 degrees within the
first hour.
Weather Along a Cold Front
 The weather along such a front
depends on a narrow band of
cloudiness and precipitation.
 Severe storms can occur. During the
summer months, thunderstorms are
common in the warm sector.
 In some regions like the USA
tornadoes occur in warm sectors.
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 Produce sharper changes in weather.

 Temperatures can drop more than 15 degrees
within the first hour.
Cloud Formation Along a Cold Front:
 The approach of a cold front is marked by
increased wind activity in the warm sector and
the appearance of cirrus clouds, followed by
lower, denser altocumulus and altostratus.
 At the actual front, dark nimbus and
cumulonimbus clouds cause heavy showers.
 A cold front passes off rapidly, but the weather
along it is violent.
Warm Front:
 It is a sloping frontal surface along which active movement of warm air over cold air takes place
(warm air mass is too weak to beat the cold air mass).
 Being lighter, the warm air mass is unable to
displace the cooler air mass and instead is
forced upward along the upper boundary of
the colder air.
 As the warm air moves up the slope, it
condenses and causes precipitation but, unlike
a cold front, the temperature and wind
direction changes are gradual.
 Frontolysis (front dissipation) begins when
the warm air mass makes way for cold air
mass on the ground, i.e. when the warm air mass completely sits over the cold air mass.
Weather Along a Warm Front:
 Being lighter, the warm air mass is unable to displace the cooler air mass and instead is forced
upward along the upper boundary of the colder air in a process known as Overrunning.
 As the air mass rises into regions of lower pressure, it expands and cools. As it cools, water vapour
condenses and forms extensive cloud coverage.
 As the warm air moves up the slope, it condenses and causes precipitation but, unlike a cold front,
the temperature and wind direction changes are gradual.
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 The first clouds to form along the sloping surface of the cold air are high cirrus, which thicken to
cirrostratus and altostratus.
 Such fronts cause moderate to gentle precipitation over a large area, over several hours.
 The passage of warm front is marked by rise in temperature, pressure and change in weather.
Clouds Along a Warm Front:
 With the approach, the hierarchy of clouds is- cirrus, stratus and nimbus. [No cumulonimbus
clouds as the gradient is gentle]
 Cirrostratus Clouds ahead of the warm front create a halo around sun and moon.
Stationary Front:
 When the surface position of a front
does not change (when two air masses
are unable to push against each other; a
draw), a stationary front is formed.
 The wind motion on both sides of the
front is parallel to the front.
 Warm or cold front stops moving,
hence the name stationary front.
 Once this boundary resumes its forward motion, it becomes a
warm front or cold front.
Weather Along a Stationary Front:
 Cumulonimbus clouds are formed. Overrunning of warm air
along such a front causes frontal precipitation.
 Cyclones migrating along a stationary front can dump heavy
amounts of precipitation, resulting in significant flooding along
the front.
Occluded Front:
 Occlusion: Meteorological process by which
the cold front of a rotating low-pressure
system catches up the warm front, so that the
warm air between them is forced upwards.
 Such a front is formed when a cold air mass
overtakes a warm air mass and goes
underneath it.
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 Frontolysis begins when the warm sector diminishes and the cold air mass completely undertakes
the warm sector on the ground.
 Weather along an occluded front is complex—a mixture
of cold front type and warm front type weather. Such
fronts are common in Western Europe.
Weather Along an Occluded Front:
 Complex: A mixture of cold front type and warm front
type weather. Such fronts are common in west Europe.
 The formation of Mid-latitude cyclones [temperate
cyclones or extra-tropical cyclones] involves the
formation of an occluded front.

Clouds Along an Occluded Front:

 A combination of clouds formed at a cold front and warm front.
 Warm front clouds and cold front clouds are on opposite sides of the occlusion.
Cyclones:
 These are the low-pressure systems that are surrounded by the isobars of increasing pressure
outwards.
 Cyclones are violent storms that originate over the over oceans in the tropics as well in
temperate regions.
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Tropical Cyclones Temperate Cyclones

Form in tropical regions (5-25 degrees) These are extra-tropical cyclones

Thermal origin due to the warming of the Form in temperate regions (40-65
sea surface degrees), these are frontal cyclones
originate along the fronts.

Very violent in nature, and have high- These are not much destructive and have
velocity winds relatively low-velocity winds.

Low pressure (around 880 mb) Pressure around 990 mb

Originate over oceans but die out on land These are predictable and form along the
(travels from east to west ), causing westerlies (travels from west to east)
destruction in the coastal regions due to its
less predictability.

Tropical Cyclone:
 Tropical cyclones are violent storms that originate over
oceans in tropical areas and move over to the coastal
areas bringing about large-scale destruction due to violent
winds (squalls), very heavy rainfall (torrential rainfall), and
storm surge.
 They are irregular wind movements involving the closed
circulation of air around a low-pressure center.
 This closed air circulation (whirling motion) is a result of
the rapid upward movement of hot air which is subjected to
Coriolis force. The low pressure at the center is responsible
for the wind speeds.
 The cyclonic wind movements are anti-clockwise in the
northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern
hemisphere (This is due to Coriolis force).
 The wind field of a tropical cyclone may be divided into three regions.
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 First is a ring-shaped outer region, typically having an outer radius of about 160 km (100
miles) and an inner radius of about 30 to 50 km (20 to 30 miles).
 In this region the winds increase uniformly in speed toward the centre.
 Second is the Eyewall where Wind speeds attain their maximum value. This is typically 15
to 30 km (10 to 20 miles) from the centre of the storm.
 Third is the Eye, the region surrounding the eyewall, where wind speeds decrease rapidly
and the air is often calm.

 Squall- A sudden violent gust of wind or localized storm, especially one bringing rain, snow, or
sleet.
 Torrent- A strong and fast-moving stream of water or other liquid.

Conditions Favourable for Tropical Cyclone Formation:

1. Good Source of Latent Heat:

 Ocean waters having temperatures of 27° C or more is the source of moisture that feeds the
storm.
 The condensation of moisture releases enough latent heat of condensation to drive the storm.
 The storms draw energy from the surface waters of the ocean, and as more heat (energy) is
stored in these upper waters, the cyclones have a larger source of energy on which to draw.
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2. Coriolis Force:
 The Coriolis force is zero at the equator (no cyclones
at the equator because of zero Coriolis Force) but it
increases with latitude. Coriolis force at 5° latitude is
significant enough to create a storm [cyclonic
vortex].
 About 65 percent of cyclonic activity occurs between
10° and 20° latitude.
3. Low-level Disturbances:
 Low-level disturbance (thunderstorms- they are the seeds of cyclones) in the form of
easterly wave disturbances in the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) should pre--exist
for the formation of a cyclone.
4. Temperature Contrast Between Air Masses:
 Trade winds from both hemispheres meet along the inter-tropical front.
 Temperature contrasts between these air masses must exist when the ITCZ is farthest, from
the equator.
 Thus, the convergence of these air masses of different temperatures and the resulting
instability are the prerequisites for the origin and growth of violent tropical storms.
5. Wind Shear:
 Wind Shear is the difference between wind speeds at different heights.
 Tropical cyclones develop when the wind is uniform.
 Because of weak vertical wind shear, cyclone formation processes are limited to the latitude
equatorward of the subtropical jet stream.
 In the temperate regions, wind shear is high due to
westerlies and this inhibits convective cyclone
formation.
6. Upper Tropospheric Divergence:
 A well-developed divergence in the upper layers of
the atmosphere is necessary so that the rising air
currents within the cyclone continue to be pumped
out and low pressure is maintained at the center.
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7. Humidity Factor:
 High Humidity (around 50 to 60 percent) is required in the mid-troposphere since the
presence of moist air leads to the formation of a cumulonimbus cloud.
 Such conditions exist over the equatorial doldrums, especially in the Western margins of
oceans (this is because of the east-to-west movement of ocean currents), which have great
moisture, and carrying capacity because the trade winds continuously replace the saturated
air.
8. Fujiwhara Effect:
 When two cyclones approach one another, their centers will begin orbiting cyclonically
about a point between the two systems.
 The two vortices will be attracted to each other, and eventually spiral into the centre point
and merge.
 When the two vortices are of unequal size, the larger vortex will tend to dominate the
interaction, and the smaller vortex will orbit around it.
 This phenomenon is called the Fujiwhara effect.

Why Tropical Cyclones Do Not Form in the Eastern Tropical Oceans?

 The depth of warm water (26-27°C) should extend for 60-70 m from the surface of the
ocean/sea, so that deep convection currents within the water do not churn and mix the cooler
water below with the warmer water near the surface.
 The above condition occurs only in western tropical oceans because of warm ocean currents
(easterly trade winds push ocean waters towards west) that flow from the east towards west
forming a thick layer of water with temperatures greater than 27°C. This supplies enough
moisture to the storm.
 The cold currents lower the surface temperatures of the eastern parts of the tropical oceans
making them unfit for the breeding of cyclonic storms.
 [Exception: During strong El Nino years, strong hurricanes occur in the eastern Pacific.
This is due to the accumulation of warm waters in the eastern Pacific due to weak
Walker Cell].
 The temperature of the Bay of Bengal is more than the Arabian sea due to the mixing of rivers
which keeps the surface water warm. Thus, there are more cyclones in the Bay of Bengal than
in the Arabian sea.
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Why do Cyclones Occur Mostly in Late Summer?

 Generally tropical cyclones occur in April-May and August-October.
 Cyclones in April-May: are less deadly (because the sea surface temperature is not high
enough). And in August-October are more deadly (oceans heat slowly and sea surface
temperature rises to 27 degrees celsius by August end or mid-September).
 Whirling motion is enhanced when the doldrums (region within ITCZ) over oceans are farthest
from the equator.
 Temperature in the late summer is near about 26-27° C
 Due to the high specific heat of water, and mixing, the ocean waters in the northern
hemisphere attain maximum temperatures in August. (Continents attain maximum
temperatures in June-July).

Characteristics of Tropical Cyclones:

1. Size and Shape:
 Tropical Cyclones have symmetrical elliptical shapes (2:3 ratio of length and breadth) with
steep pressure gradients.
 They have a compact size—80 km near center, which may develop up to 300 km to 1500
km.
2. Wind Velocity and Strength:
 Wind velocity, in a tropical cyclone, is more in poleward margins than at center and is more
over oceans than over landmasses, which are scattered with physical barriers.
 The wind velocity may range from nil to 1200 km per hour.
3. Path of Tropical Cyclones:
 These cyclones start with a westward movement, but turn northwards around 20° latitude.
 They turn further north-eastwards around 25° latitude, and then eastwards around 30°
latitude. They then lose energy and subside.
 Tropical Cyclones follow a parabolic path, their axis being parallel to the isobars.
 Coriolis Force or earth’s rotation, easterly and westerly winds influence the path of a
Tropical Cyclone.
 Tropical Cyclones die at 30° latitude because of cool ocean waters and increasing wind
shear due to westerlies.
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Types of Tropical Cyclones:

Tropical Disturbance  In the 5-20 degrees latitude.

 In the North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea

Tropical Depressions  In 0-5 degrees latitude

 In India, Northern America etc.
 Speed of the wind is 30-40 Km per hour
 Low-pressure regions and low-intensity storms are there.

Tropical Storms  When the depression and disturbance take big form.
 In the Bay of Bengal, Arabian sea, Carrabian sea etc.
 Wind velocity is 50-120 Km Per hour.
 Huge destruction due to high intensity.
 Example: Supercyclones of Odisha 1999 etc.
 Low-pressure system.

Typhoons and Hurrican and  When velocity is greater than 120 Km per hour or more.
Cyclones  Violent and destructive.
 Hurricanes- USA
 Typhoon - South China Sea
 Taifu - Japan Coast
 Willy Willys - Australia

Regional Names for Tropical Cyclones:

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Categories of Tropical Cyclones:

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