#tropicalcyclone

“Hurricane Gabrielle Explodes Into a Major Storm — And It Might Not Be Alone in the Atlantic 🌊⚠️” See more

Hurricanes are the most violent storms on Earth. People call these storms by other names, such as typhoons or cyclones, depending on where they occur.

The scientific term for ALL of these storms is tropical cyclone. Only tropical cyclones that form over the Atlantic Ocean or eastern and central Pacific Ocean are called “hurricanes.”

Whatever they are called, tropical cyclones all form the same way.

Tropical cyclones are like giant engines that use warm, moist air as fuel. That is why they form only over warm ocean waters near the equator. This warm, moist air rises and condenses to form clouds and storms.

As this warmer, moister air rises, there's less air left near the Earth's surface. Essentially, as this warm air rises, this causes an area of lower air pressure below.

This starts the 'engine' of the storm. To fill in the low pressure area, air from surrounding areas with higher air pressure pushes in. That “new” air near the Earth's surface also gets heated by the warm ocean water so it also gets warmer and moister and then it rises.

As the warm air continues to rise, the surrounding air swirls in to take its place. The whole system of clouds and wind spins and grows, fed by the ocean’s heat and water evaporating from the surface.

As the storm system rotates faster and faster, an eye forms in the center. It is vey calm and clear in the eye, with very low air pressure.

Tropical cyclones usually weaken when they hit land, because they are no longer being “fed” by the energy from the warm ocean waters. However, when they move inland, they can drop many inches of rain causing flooding as well as wind damage before they die out completely. 

There are five types, or categories, of hurricanes. The scale of categories is called the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale and they are based on wind speed.

How Does NASA Study Hurricanes?

Our satellites gather information from space that are made into pictures. Some satellite instruments measure cloud and ocean temperatures. Others measure the height of clouds and how fast rain is falling. Still others measure the speed and direction of winds.

We also fly airplanes into and above hurricanes. The instruments aboard planes gather details about the storm. Some parts are too dangerous for people to fly into. To study these parts, we use airplanes that operate without people. 

Learn more about this and other questions by exploring NASA Space Place and the NASA/NOAA SciJinks that offer explanations of science topics for school kids.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.

Discover the cutting-edge of tropical cyclone forecasting with deep probabilistic modeling! 🌪️ In this video, we explore how environment-dependent factors influence cyclone intensity and how Flow generative models provide accurate, data-driven predictions. Learn how machine learning and statistical modeling are revolutionizing weather forecasting and helping communities prepare for extreme weather events. Whether you’re a meteorology enthusiast, data scientist, or climate researcher, this video breaks down complex concepts in a clear and engaging way.

Key Topics Covered:

Understanding tropical cyclone intensity evolution

Probabilistic modeling techniques for environmental dependencies

Introduction to Flow generative models in weather prediction

Real-world applications in cyclone forecasting and disaster management

In Oman, a tropical cyclone has brought heavy rains and extensive flooding, particularly affecting the southern regions such as the city of Sur. Precipitation levels have varied from 20-50 mm, coupled with strong winds. The Arabian Sea has risen by 2.5 meters, disrupting sea-based operations.