Question

differentiate between between cyclone, hurricane, tornado and twister. Explain the necessary conditions for their formation.

Answer 1

A cyclone is, by definition, a clockwise-rotating weather system in the Northern hemisphere (or a counter-clockwise one in the Southern hemisphere). It is also another name for a tornado, but this is mistaken (in the Northern hemisphere anyway) since nine out of ten tornadoes rotate counter-clockwise.

A tornado is a rotating funnel of air and cloud generated mainly by a powerful and long-lived thunderstorm known as a Supercell. (Tornadoes can also be generated by other means, specifically topographically, or within a hurricane or typhoon. See below.)

A hurricane is, in essence, a Northern-hemisphere low pressure system (counter-clockwise) of such extraordinary intensity as to cause the effects everyone witnessed during Hurricane Katrina and others. A rapid drop in pressure within the system leads to the flood-degree rainfall, powerful winds, hailstones, lightning and sometimes even hurricanoes (a portmanteau word, a blend of ‘hurricane’ and ‘tornado’, used to describe tornadoes generated by the rotation in a hurricane).

A typhoon is simply the same thing as a hurricane, but in the Southern hemisphere and hence displaying clockwise rotation as opposed to the counter-clockwise rotation of a Northern Hemisphere hurricane.

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