News tagged with tropical storm

NASA sees Tropical Storm 12S - a possible threat to Madagascar

The twelfth tropical depression formed in the Southern Indian Ocean today and quickly became a tropical storm, dubbed Tropical Storm 12S. NASA's Aqua satellite passed over the storm and captured infrared data that revealed ...

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Feb 09, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

La Nina going away, but too late for Texas drought

(AP) -- Federal weather forecasters say the La Nina weather phenomenon that contributed to the southwestern U.S. drought is winding down.

Space & Earth / Environment

created Feb 09, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

NASA satellite sees tropical storm Cyril a strong, compact storm

Tropical Storm Cyril was known as "11P" has been strengthening since February 6, and still appears very compact on infrared NASA satellite data.

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Feb 07, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

NASA's Aqua satellite sees small new tropical storm near Tonga

Tropical Storm 11P has formed in the South Pacific Ocean, and NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of its cloud temperatures, revealing power in the cyclone.

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Feb 06, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

NASA sees strong thunderstorms still surround Cyclone Iggy's center

NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Tropical Cyclone Iggy on January 31 and the AIRS infrared instrument aboard showed that there is a large area of strong thunderstorms still surrounding Iggy's center of circulation.

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Jan 31, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

NASA satellites see cyclone Funso exiting Mozambique Channel

Powerful Cyclone Funso is now beginning to exit the Mozambique Channel, and NASA's Aqua satellite captured a stunning image of the storm that shows the depth and extent of it.

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Jan 26, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

NASA sees development of tropical storm 09S in southern Indian Ocean

NASA's Aqua satellite passed over the low pressure system called System 97S on Jan. 24 and observed a large area of strong thunderstorms around its center that hinted at further development. On Jan. 25, the ...

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Jan 25, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

NASA satellite sees birth of Tropical Storm Ethel, now threatening Rodrigues

NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Tropical Storm Ethel on January 19, 2012 after she was born in the Southern Indian Ocean. The island of Rodrigues is now under Tropical Cyclone Warnings as Ethel approaches ...

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Jan 19, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

NASA sees Tropical Cyclone Funso develop, threaten Mozambique

Residents of Mozambique are still recovering from the flooding caused by Tropical Depression Dando earlier this week and now newly formed Tropical Cyclone Funso threatens to bring more rainfall to the country. ...

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Jan 19, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

NASA's TRMM satellite measured Washi's deadly rainfall

NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite was providing forecasters with the rate in which rainfall was occurring in Tropical Storm Washi over the last week, and now TRMM data has been compiled ...

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Dec 20, 2011 | popularity 1 / 5 (1) | comments 4

NASA sees Tropical Storm Washi's rainfall intensify over larger area

NASA's TRMM satellite noticed that as Tropical Storm Washi approached the Philippines' island of Mindanao heavy rainfall had become more widespread than the previous day. NASA's Terra satellite captured Washi ...

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Dec 16, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

NASA eyes power in Tropical Storm Washi, warnings in the Philippines

NASA's TRMM satellite measured heavy rainfall and powerful towering thunderstorms as Tropical Depression 27W intensified into Tropical Storm Washi today. Now, warnings are up in areas of the Philippines as ...

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Dec 15, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

NASA sees Alenga become a cyclone in the Southern Indian Ocean

NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Cyclone Alenga and captured a visible image of the rounded and more powerful storm is it makes its way toward Western Australia.

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Dec 08, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

NASA sees Tropical Storm Alenga intensifying

NASA's TRMM satellite passed over Tropical Storm Alenga and noticed that the rainfall has intensified in the storm in the last two days indicating that it continues strengthening.

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Dec 07, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

NASA's TRMM satellite sees the power in Tropical Storm Alenga

The first tropical storm of the Southern Indian Ocean season has been renamed from Tropical Storm 01S to Tropical Storm Alenga as it continues to strengthen. NASA's TRMM satellite was able to capture a look ...

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Dec 06, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Tropical cyclone

A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones feed on heat released when moist air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor contained in the moist air. They are fueled by a different heat mechanism than other cyclonic windstorms such as nor'easters, European windstorms, and polar lows, leading to their classification as "warm core" storm systems. Tropical cyclones originate in the doldrums near the equator, about 10° away from it.

The term "tropical" refers to both the geographic origin of these systems, which form almost exclusively in tropical regions of the globe, and their formation in maritime tropical air masses. The term "cyclone" refers to such storms' cyclonic nature, with counterclockwise rotation in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise rotation in the Southern Hemisphere. Depending on its location and strength, a tropical cyclone is referred to by names such as hurricane, typhoon, tropical storm, cyclonic storm, tropical depression, and simply cyclone.

While tropical cyclones can produce extremely powerful winds and torrential rain, they are also able to produce high waves and damaging storm surge as well as spawning tornadoes. They develop over large bodies of warm water, and lose their strength if they move over land. This is why coastal regions can receive significant damage from a tropical cyclone, while inland regions are relatively safe from receiving strong winds. Heavy rains, however, can produce significant flooding inland, and storm surges can produce extensive coastal flooding up to 40 kilometres (25 mi) from the coastline. Although their effects on human populations can be devastating, tropical cyclones can also relieve drought conditions. They also carry heat and energy away from the tropics and transport it toward temperate latitudes, which makes them an important part of the global atmospheric circulation mechanism. As a result, tropical cyclones help to maintain equilibrium in the Earth's troposphere, and to maintain a relatively stable and warm temperature worldwide.

Many tropical cyclones develop when the atmospheric conditions around a weak disturbance in the atmosphere are favorable. The background environment is modulated by climatological cycles and patterns such as the Madden-Julian oscillation, El Niño-Southern Oscillation, and the Atlantic Multi-Decadal Mode. Others form when other types of cyclones acquire tropical characteristics. Tropical systems are then moved by steering winds in the troposphere; if the conditions remain favorable, the tropical disturbance intensifies, and can even develop an eye. On the other end of the spectrum, if the conditions around the system deteriorate or the tropical cyclone makes landfall, the system weakens and eventually dissipates. It is not possible to artificially induce the dissipation of these systems with current technology.

For more information about Tropical cyclone, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.