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Weather Hazards

The structure of a tropical storm, and the effect of climate change

  • 3 things to know
  • Paper 1

Overview

The eye, eyewall and rainbands of a tropical storm, its spiral shape, hurricane wind speeds and the Saffir–Simpson scale, storm surges, and how warmer oceans may change the strength, distribution and number of storms.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

What is the eye of a tropical storm?

Key term

What shape does a tropical storm take, and which way does it spin in the northern hemisphere?

Key term

What wind speed must a storm reach to be classed as a hurricane?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What is the eye of a tropical storm?

    Model answer

    The calm centre of the system, where air descends, giving clear skies, light winds and the lowest pressure.

  2. 2

    What is the eyewall, and what conditions occur in it?

    Model answer

    A ring of towering cloud around the eye where air rises fastest, producing the strongest winds and the heaviest rain in the whole storm.

  3. 3

    What shape does a tropical storm take, and which way does it spin in the northern hemisphere?

    Model answer

    A circular spiral of cloud hundreds of kilometres across, turning anticlockwise about the eye.

  4. 4

    What are the rainbands of a tropical storm?

    Model answer

    Spiralling bands of thunderstorm cloud outside the eyewall, which bring bursts of heavy rain and gusty winds with calmer gaps between them.

  5. 5

    What wind speed must a storm reach to be classed as a hurricane?

    Model answer

    Sustained winds of at least 119 km per hour.

  6. 6

    On what scale is the strength of a hurricane measured, and what is its range?

    Model answer

    The Saffir–Simpson scale, which runs from category 1 up to category 5.

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