Comments on: Cyclone vs. Hurricane vs. Tornado -How are these storms different?

By: Sky

Sky — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 15:43:12 +0000

i think if they cross the equator if there is storm in the equator it should die off since counter action is happening

By: cmorris

cmorris — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 20:20:06 +0000

when a tropical storm crosses the equator, will it change rotational direction from clockwise to counterclockwise, or vice-versa. i’ve always wondered that.

By: sduncan

sduncan — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:19:32 +0000

Yes . . . that is indeed true. When I stated that they are exactly the same I meant the same type of storm. But all pressure systems (HIGHs and LOWs) have circulations that rotate in the opposite directions south of the equator, compared to their northern hemisphere counterparts.

By: SteveB

SteveB — Fri, 16 May 2008 01:17:51 +0000

In regaurds to amh’s question, isn’t it true that cyclones south of the equator rotate counterclockwise and north of the equator rotate clockwise? You indicated the storms are exactly the same.

By: sduncan

sduncan — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:43:41 +0000

They are exactly the same type of storm . . . just different names. They form the same way . . . they reach maturity the same way . . . and when they move over land or into cooler waters, they die the same way.

By: amh

amh — Wed, 14 May 2008 10:12:57 +0000

So what distinguishes a hurricane from a cyclone or typhoon? These are the same type of storm, OK, but they are different from each other, yes? Not just different words for the same thing?

By: sduncan

sduncan — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:17:40 +0000

Good question.
A tornado is “fueled” by the clash of contrasting air masses: warm, moist air interacting with cool, dry air. Such clashes produce thunderstorms that can be severe and could lead to rotation that can ultimately spawn a tornado.

The tornadic winds will tend to diminish when there is no longer any significant contrast; usually when there is more cool/dry air infiltrating the thunderstorm and the warm/humid air is for lack of a better term, overwhelmed. With not much contrast, the storm’s strength ebbs and eventually it dies.

By: ledbelly

ledbelly — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:19:51 +0000

Interesting. But what fuels a tornado and what causes it to lose its strength?