Whether you refer to tropical storms as cyclones, typhoons or hurricanes, they can be strong, destructive forces of nature
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 | TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 135
Some people associate a tsunami
with hurricanes and typhoons.
Hurricanes and typhoons are storms
in the atmosphere, while a tsunami, on
the other hand, is a huge tidal wave in
the ocean caused by a large underwater
earthquake.
As tropical depressions develop
into storms, they are given preselected
alphabetical names alternating in
gender from male names to female
ones. The names selected for Atlantic
storms differ from those selected for
Eastern Pacific storms.
There is, however, a geographical
difference between tropical cyclones,
typhoons and hurricanes. Typhoons
and hurricanes spin counter clockwise
in the Northern Hemisphere, while
cyclones spin in the clockwise, opposite
direction in the Southern Hemisphere.
This is due to the Coriolis effect
named for a French mathematician of
the 19th century. Much like a turntable,
the earth spins at a different speed at
the equator than it does at the North or
South Pole, the same as anything that
spins or rotates. This causes the outside
edge, the equator, to spin faster than the
inside poles do. Consequently, winds
that pass between these two areas are
subject to the same effect as a marble
would if you tried to push it from the
center of a plate to its outer edge while
spinning. If the plate stops rotating, you
can send the marble in a straight line
from the center of the plate to its edge.
This explains why tropical storms do
not develop on the equator, since there
is no Coriolis effect to turn the winds.
No matter where you are in the world,
or what name you give a tropical storm,
make preparations and take cover if one
is coming your way. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: Margaret Word
Burnside is the co-publisher/editor of
Tampa Bay Magazine. She enjoys the
challenge of researching subjects in an
attempt to reply to questions posed to her
by the magazine’s readers. She finds that
if one person wonders about a particular
subject, there are many others who do as
well. So if you have ever been curious about
something, give Margaret a chance to write
about it.
that should not be taken lightly.
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