Hurricanes Lecture Notes Flashcards

Flashcards for key vocabulary and concepts related to hurricanes, their formation, and impacts as discussed in the lecture notes.

Eye

The calm, clear center of a hurricane.

Tropical Depression

A developing storm with surface winds between 28 and 39 mph.

Tropical Storm

A storm where surface winds exceed 39 mph.

Tropical Cyclone

A low-pressure system that converts the heat energy of tropical oceans into wind and waves.

Hurricane

A term for when winds exceed 74 mph.

Eye Wall

Cylinder-shaped area of spiraling upward winds around the eye.

Storm Surge

Seawater pushed onshore by hurricanes.

Rain Bands

Bands of thunderstorms extending outward from a hurricane's eye.

Coriolis Effect

The effect of earth's rotation causing the path of hurricanes to curve.

Cyclones

Hurricanes in the Indian Ocean

Typhoons

Hurricanes in the Western Pacific Ocean.

Cape Verde-type Hurricanes

Storms that begin in Sahel Africa and strengthen over the warm Atlantic Ocean.

Bermuda High

North Atlantic high pressure zone strongly influencing hurricane paths.

Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)

Area where trade winds meet near the equator where Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico hurricanes form.