The Tempest

After pounding Taiwan, typhoon Meranti is barrelling into the mainland of China
and Japan. With power being disrupted in more than 90,000 households and 2
people losing their lives so far, people in these countries are still bracing for the
full impact of this tempest. Meranti's strength had prompted China to issue its
highest warning for high ocean waves as emergency crews and officials prepare
for the deluge.
It is a norm for the world to experience hurricanes every year. The season runs
from June 1 to November 30 in the Northern Hemisphere, while it is from January
to March in the Southern Hemisphere. Thus, we can say that at any given time,
someone somewhere in this world is possibly worrying about an impending
storm.
However, in Alaska nobody has any qualms of being hit by a hurricane. The
reason for this is hurricanes develop in warm, tropical regions where the water is
at least at 27 degrees Celsius. The storms require moist air and converging
equatorial winds. Mostly, hurricanes start, off the coast of Africa as
thunderstorms and then moves out over the warm, tropical ocean waters.
Understanding Hurricanes
Hurricanes are best understood by explaining the principles of atmospheric
pressure. Gases that comprises of the Earths atmosphere weighs up to 5.5
quadrillion tons. The gas molecules that lies closest to the Earths atmospheric
are compressed by the weight of the gas molecules above them. The layer of air
closest to the atmosphere is heated up by the land and is the warmest. As the air
heats up, molecules move farther apart, becoming less dense.
This low
pressured, dense, hot air rises upwards and at this moment, the high pressured
cool air above seizes the opportunity to move in underneath. This movement is
called pressure-gradient force.
A low-pressure centre formed in the atmosphere turns into a region of hurricane.
Basically, the tropical ocean water fuels hurricanes. Warm and moist air from the
oceans rises rapidly and in this process, the water vapour condenses to form
droplets of rain and storm clouds. During condensation, there is a release of heat
called latent heat of condensation. The latent heat released, warms up the
surrounding areas and reducing the air density in this region. The cycle
continues and more warm and moist air is drawn into the developing storm;
moving heat from the surface to the atmosphere. The exchange or movement of
heat creates a pattern of wind that circulates around the centre like a spinning
top.
The low-pressure areas feature weak pressure gradients and negligible rotation.
These disturbances usually die out, but a few persevere down the path resulting
in hurricanes. The thunderstorms release latent heat, warming up areas in the
disturbance and reducing the air density in this region, thus dropping the surface
pressure. The latent heat warms the cool air, causing it to rise. As the warm air
rises up, cooler air rushes underneath thereby increasing the wind speed.

The low pressure centre of hurricane is called the eye, where there is a relative
calmness. Area surrounding the eye is known as eyewall storms most violent
winds occur in this region. The bands of thunderstorm that circulate outward
from the eye is the rain band. These storms play a crucial role in the evaporation
or condensation of cycle that ignites the hurricane.

Secret of The Ferocious Winds:

At the surface, converging winds are colliding and pushing the moist, warm air
upwards. The circulation and wind speed increases because the rising air
reinforces the air thats already ascending from the surface. Meanwhile, at higher
altitudes (up to 30,000 feet above) strong winds are blowing at the same speed,
thus helping in removing the hot air from the storms centre. This maintains a
continual movement of warm air from the surface, keeping the storm organized
and strengthening it. At an altitude of height above 30,000 feet, the high
pressure air over the storms centre removes heat from the rising air,
progressively driving the air cycle. High-pressure air is sucked into the lowpressure centre of the storm, mounting the power of hurricane. However, if the
wind at high altitude do not blow at the same speed at all levels, the storm
becomes disorganized and weakens.
Rotation of Hurricane
The spinning of hurricane is as a result of a phenomenon, known as Coriolis
force. On Earth, as a result of the Coriolis effect, the fluids and free-moving
objects swerve to the right (clockwise) in the Northern Hemisphere and to the
left (anti-clockwise) in the Southern Hemisphere. The wind deflects to the right
and left in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere respectively, leading to
spinning of storm.
Hurricane accompanied by massive downpour of rain and high-sustained winds
cause widespread damage to humans, animals and porperty. If the storm surge
coincides with high tide, beach erosion and significant inland flooding occurs.
Over time, hurricanes have earned their reputation as destroyers. Some people
call it the act of divine wrath, while some frame it as embodiment of natures
power. The word hurricane got its name from Hurakan- a destructive Mayan
God. No matter how you would like to see the storm, the damage that they inflict
upon the mother Earth cannot be compensated.