Tropical Storms

Global Distribution

• Western Central America- Eastern Pacific: 17%
• Caribbean/Gulf of Mexico: 11%
• Off Madagascar: 11%
• Arabian Sea/Bay of Bengal: 8%
• North Western/North Australia: 20%
• Southest Asia: 1/3 of all storms per year

Conditions required

• 27 degrees sea surface temperature
• ocean depth of 70m
• Located between 5 and 20 degrees north and south of the equator
• Between tropics of cancer and capricorn
• Allows Coriolis Force to rotate the air
• Low level convergence of air in the lower atmosphere circulation system
• Rapid outflow of air in the upper atmosphere

Stages of a Tropical Storm

Stage 1:

• From when are 27 degrees sea surface temperature
• Ocean depth of 70m
• Located between 5 and 20 degrees north and south of the equator
• Between tropics of cancer and capricorn

Stage 2:

• Coriolis force is where the rotation deflects air to right in northern and left in southern hemisphere.
• Responsible for circular air flow- causes it to rotate
• Coriolis weak at the equator so will not form.

Stage 3:

• Heat from sun heats air at the equator 
• Becomes less desne and rises upwards to atmosphere
• Creates low pressyre at equator because air is going up

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