Case study: Cyclone Nargis, Myanmar, South-east Asia, May 2nd 2008

Formation:

• Sun is directly over the ocean and heats it, supplying the energy
• Must be heated to over 27 degrees at a depth of 50m
• Air above the ocean heats up and rises
• It cools and condenses as it rises, forming storm clouds
• Earth's rotation causes it to spin and it forms a vortex which turns anti-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere
• Rising air causes low air pressure that forces air from surrounding areas to rush inwards and form the eye when the air descends in the centre
• It is now a fullt developed cyclone

Cyclone Nargis began as a category 3 severe cyclone to the west of the Irrawaddy Delta - began to move north east over Myanmar, dissipating power because it…