Cyclones

A cyclone is an area of closed, circular fluid motion

rotating in the same direction as the Earth.[1][2] This is
usually characterized by inward spiraling winds that
rotate anti-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and
clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth. Most
large-scale cyclonic circulations are centered on areas of
low atmospheric pressure
Cyclogenesis describes the process of cyclone formation
and intensification.
A cyclone's track is guided over the course of its 2 to 6
day life cycle by the steering flow of subtropical jet
stream

Weather fronts separate two masses of air of different

densities and are associated with the most prominent
meteorological phenomena. Air masses separated by a
front may differ in temperature or humidity. Strong cold
fronts typically feature narrow bands of thunderstorms
and severe weather, and may on occasion be preceded by
squall lines or dry lines. They form west of the
circulation center and generally move from west to east.
Warm fronts form east of the cyclone center and are
usually preceded by stratiform precipitation and fog.
They move poleward ahead of the cyclone path.
Occluded fronts form late in the cyclone life cycle near
the center of the cyclone and often wrap around the
storm center.

Tropical cyclogenesis describes the process of

development of tropical cyclones. Tropical cyclones form
due to latent heat driven by significant thunderstorm
activity, and are warm core. Cyclones can transition
between extratropical, subtropical, and tropical phases
under the right conditions. Mesocyclones form as warm
core cyclones over land, and can lead to tornado
formation. Waterspouts can also form from mesocyclones,
but more often develop from environments of high
instability and low vertical wind shear. A tropical cyclone
is generally referred to as a hurricane (from the name of
the ancient Central American deity of wind, Huracan) in
the Atlantic basin, a cyclone in the Indian Ocean and parts
of the Pacific, and a typhoon in the Northwest Pacific
region.

Structure
There are a number of structural characteristics common to all
cyclones. A cyclone is a low pressure area. A cyclone's center
(often known in a mature tropical cyclone as the eye), is the area
of lowest atmospheric pressure in the region. Near the center, the
pressure gradient force (from the pressure in the center of the
cyclone compared to the pressure outside the cyclone) and the
force from the Coriolis effect must be in an approximate balance,
or the cyclone would collapse on itself as a result of the difference
in pressure.
Because of the Coriolis effect, the wind flow around a large
cyclone is counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and
clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. Cyclonic circulation is
sometimes referred to as contra solem. In the Northern
Hemisphere, the fastest winds relative to the surface of the Earth
therefore occur on the eastern side of a northward-moving cyclone
and on the northern side of a westward-moving one; the opposite
occurs in the Southern Hemisphere.

Formation
Cyclogenesis is the development or strengthening of cyclonic
circulation in the atmosphere (a low pressure area). Cyclogenesis
is an umbrella term for several different processes, all of which
result in the development of some sort of cyclone. It can occur at
various scales, from the microscale to the synoptic scale.
Extratropical cyclones form as waves along weather fronts before
occluding later in their life cycle as cold core cyclones.
Tropical cyclones form due to latent heat driven by significant
thunderstorm activity, and are warm core.
Mesocyclones form as warm core cyclones over land, and can lead
to tornado formation. Waterspouts can also form from
mesocyclones, but more often develop from environments of high
instability and low vertical wind shear

Tropical cyclogenesis is the technical term describing the

development and strengthening of a tropical cyclone in the
atmosphere. The mechanisms through which tropical
cyclogenesis occurs are distinctly different from those through
which mid-latitude cyclogenesis occurs. Tropical cyclogenesis
involves the development of a warm-core cyclone, due to
significant convection in a favorable atmospheric environment.
There are six main requirements for tropical cyclogenesis:
sufficiently warm sea surface temperatures, atmospheric
instability, high humidity in the lower to middle levels of the
troposphere, enough Coriolis force to develop a low pressure
center, a preexisting low level focus or disturbance, and low
vertical wind shear.[ An average of 86 tropical cyclones of
tropical storm intensity form annually worldwide, with 47
reaching hurricane/typhoon strength, and 20 becoming intense
tropical cyclones (at least Category 3 intensity on the Saffir
Simpson Hurricane Scale

Tropical cyclones form when the energy released by

the condensation of moisture in rising air causes a
positive feedback loop over warm ocean waters

Synoptic scale
Surface-based types
There are three main types surface-based cyclones:
Extratropical cyclones, Subtropical cyclones and Tropical
cyclones
Extratropical cyclone
An extra tropical cyclone is a synoptic scale low pressure
weather system that does not have tropical characteristics,
being connected with fronts and horizontal gradients in
temperature and dew point otherwise known as "baroclinic
zones".

Subtropical
A subtropical cyclone is a weather system that has some
characteristics of a tropical cyclone and some characteristics of
an extratropical cyclone. They can form between the equator and
the 50th parallel. As early as the 1950s, meteorologists were
unclear whether they should be characterized as tropical
cyclones or extratropical cyclones, and used terms such as quasitropical and semi-tropical to describe the cyclone hybrids. By
1972, the National Hurricane Center officially recognized this
cyclone category. Subtropical cyclones began to receive names
off the official tropical cyclone list in the Atlantic Basin in 2002.
They have broad wind patterns with maximum sustained winds
located farther from the center than typical tropical cyclones,
and exist in areas of weak to moderate temperature gradient

Tropical
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a low
pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce
strong winds and flooding rain. A tropical cyclone feeds on heat
released when moist air rises, resulting in condensation of water
vapour 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.
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.
Tropical cyclones can produce extremely powerful winds and
torrential rain, they are also able to produce high waves and
damaging storm surges

Tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in
contact with both the surface of the earth and a
cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a
cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as twisters or
cyclones, although the word cyclone is used in
meteorology, in a wider sense, to name any closed low
pressure circulation.

History of Cyclones in India:

Although cyclones affect the entire coast of India, the East
Coast is more prone compared to the West Coast. An analysis
of the frequencies of cyclones on the East and West coasts of
India during 1891-2000 show that nearly 308 cyclones (out of
which 103 were severe) affected the East Coast. During the
same period 48 tropical cyclones crossed the West Coast, of
which 24 were severe cyclonic storms. Out of the cyclones that
develop in the Bay of Bengal, over 58 % approach and cross
the east coast in October and November. Only 25 % of the
cyclones that develop over the Arabian Sea approach the west
coast. In the pre-monsoon season, corresponding figures are 25
% over the Arabian Sea and 30 % over the Bay of Bengal.

Map showing cyclone affected areas

Number of Cyclones Crossing Various coastal Districts of East

and West Coast of India during 1891- 2000
WEST COAST
State
Kerala
(3)

Station Coastal Districts

EAST COAST
No. of Cyclonic storms

State

Malappuram
Kozikode
Kannur

1
1
1

W.Bengal
(69)

Karnataka
(2)

Dakshina Kannada
Uttar Kannada

Orissa
(98)

Maharastra
(13)

Sindhu durg
Ratnagiri
Mumbai
Thane

Goa
(2)

Gujarat
(28)

3
3
3
4

Andhra Pradesh
(79)

Goa
2

Surat
kaira
Bhavnagar
Amroli
Junngarh
Jamnagar
Kutch

1
1
4
4
7
6
5

Tamilnadu
(62)

Station Coastal Districts

No. of Cyclonic storms

24 - Parganas
(North & South)
Midnapur

35

Balasore
Cuttack
Puri
Ganjam
Srikakulam
Visakhapatnam
East Godavari
West Godavari
Krishna
Guntur
Prakasam
Nellore

32
32
19
15

Chennai
Cuddalore
Puducherry
Southarcot
Tanjavur
Pudukkottai
Ramnathpuram
Tirunelveli
Kanyakumari

18
7
8
5
12
5
3
2
2

34

14
9
8
5
15
5
7
16

Cyclone Phailin: All you need to know

October 11, 2013
Classified as a severe cyclonic storm by the Indian
Meteorological Department (IMD), Cyclone Phailin
originated over east central Bay of Bengal and has since
intensified moving north-westwards, 800 km southeast of
Paradip (Odisha) and 870 km east-southeast of
Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh).
It is all set to make landfall close to Gopalpur in Odisha
at a wind speed of at least 205 kmph on Saturday.
Satellite images showed the storm, in the Bay of Bengal,
to be about half the size of India.
Phailin means sapphire in the Thai language.

Classified as a severe cyclonic storm by the Indian

Meteorological Department (IMD), Cyclone Phailin originated
over east central Bay of Bengal and has since intensified moving
north-westwards, 800 km southeast of Paradip (Odisha) and 870
km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh).

Made a landfall close to Gopalpur in Odisha at a

wind speed of at least 205 kmph on Saturday.
Satellite images showed the storm, in the Bay of
Bengal, to be about half the size of India.
Phailin means sapphire in the Thai language.

Cyclone categories
According to a London-based storm tracking service Tropical Storm Risk - Phailin is a Category 4 cyclone,
one notch below the most powerful Category 5 super
storm like the one that hit Odisha in 1999 for 30
hours, killing almost 10,000 people.

Category 1: Wind and gales of 90-125 kph, negligible

house damage, some damage to trees and crops.
Category 2: Destructive winds of 125-164 kph. Minor
house damage, significant damage to trees, crops and
caravans, risk of power failure.
Category 3: Very destructive winds of 165-224 kph. Some
roof and structural damage, some caravans destroyed,
power failure likely.
Category 4: Very destructive winds of 225-279 kph.
Significant roofing loss and structural damage, caravans
destroyed, blown away, widespread power failures.
Category 5: Very destructive winds gusts of more than 280
kph. Extremely dangerous with widespread destruction.

Fishermen on a country boat negotiate the waves as

they return with their catch on the Bay of Bengal coast
at Puri, Odisha. (AP Photo)

Techniques used to predict intensity of cyclones

Climatology
Synoptic
Satellite (Dvorak) techniques
Radar techniques

Why are tropical cyclones named?

Tropical cyclones are named to provide easy
communication between forecasters and the general public
regarding forecasts, watches, and warnings.
The first use of a proper name for a tropical cyclone was
by an Australian forecaster early in the 20th century. He gave
tropical cyclone names after political figures he disliked.
During World War II, tropical cyclones were informally
given women's names by US Army Air Corp and Navy
meteorologists (after their girlfriends or wives) who were
monitoring and forecasting tropical cyclones over the Pacific.
From 1950 to 1952, tropical cyclones of the North
Atlantic Ocean were identified by the phonetic alphabet
(Able-Baker-Charlie-etc.), but in 1953 the US Weather
Bureau switched to women's names. In 1979, the World
Meteorological Organization and the US National Weather
Service (NWS) switched to a list of names that also included
men's names.

The Northeast Pacific basin tropical cyclones were named

using women's names starting in 1959 for storms near
Hawaii and in 1960 for the remainder of the Northeast
Pacific basin. In 1978, both men's and women's names were
utilised.
The Northwest Pacific basin tropical cyclones were
given women's names officially starting in 1945 and men's
names were also included beginning in 1979. Beginning on
1 January 2000, tropical cyclones in the Northwest Pacific
basin are being named from a new and very different list of
names.

These newly selected names have two major differences from

the rest of the world's tropical cyclone name rosters. One, the
names by and large are not personal names. There are a few
men's and women's names, but the majority are names of
flowers, animals, birds, trees, or even foods, etc, while some
are descriptive adjectives. Secondly, the names are not allotted
in alphabetical order, but are arranged by contributing nation
with the countries being alphabetised.
The Southwest Indian Ocean tropical cyclones were first
named during the 1960/1961 season.
The Australian and South Pacific region (east of 90E, south
of the equator) started giving women's names to the storms in
1964 and both men's and women's names in 1974/1975.
The North Indian Ocean region tropical cyclones are being
named since October 2004.

Eye of Phailin Cyclone in Bay of Bengal

Heavy rains lash Odisha as cyclone advances

Odisha Cyclone advances - 11102013

The meteorological centre here in its latest bulletin said the very severe
cyclonic storm over west central and adjoining east central Bay of
Bengal moved northwestwards during past 6 hours.
It lay centred at about 355 km south-southeast of Paradip in
Jagatsinghpur district, and 320 km southeast of Gopalpur in Ganjam
district, said the bulletin.
It would move northwestwards and cross north Andhra Pradesh and
Odisha coasts between Kalingapatnam and Paradip, close to Gopalpur
(Odisha) by Saturday evening, with a maximum sustained wind speed of
210-220 kmph, it said.
The cyclone, which is expected to make landfall in Gopalpur area of
Ganjam district, is likely to cause damages in the coastal district of
Ganjam, Gajapati, Khordha, Puri and Jagatsinghpur, although many
other districts are also likely to be affected by heavy rains and flooding.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected at most places. Some places
may witness extremely heavy falls of about 25 centimeters, the weather
office said.

Phailin will cause storm surge with height of 3.0 to 3.5 meteres at landfall

The super storm will lead to large scale disruption of power and
communication lines and also disrupt rail and road traffic, the
update said.

Jeff Masters, founder of Weather Underground in Ann Arbor,

Michigan, wrote in his blog that he expects that Phailin will
weaken slightly before hitting the coast, due to interaction with
land, and hit as a Category 4 storm with winds of 145 - 155 mph.
The 1999 Odisha Cyclone hit land with top winds of 155 mph.
There is good reason to be concerned when a major tropical
cyclone forms in the Bay of Bengal, he said.
Twenty-six of the thirty-five deadliest tropical cyclones in world
history have been Bay of Bengal storms, he added.
During the past two centuries, 42 per cent of Earth's tropical
cyclone-associated deaths have occurred in Bangladesh, and 27
per cent have occurred in India, he wrote.
"It's going to cause pretty complete devastation on the coast
where it hits," he told The Washington Post.