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STORM STORY 14-15
So long as the storm Did you know?
remains over the sea, it
keeps collecting more The huge winds whirling inside a tropical
and more moisture. cyclone have a power of five hundred trillion
It becomes stronger as
the winds move faster. horsepower. One trillion is one followed by
Once it crosses into twelve zeros—1000,000,000,000!
land or moves over cool
waters, it begins to lose This is no
its power, and the wind ordinary jockey!
speed reduces.
Eye of the storm
Tropical cyclones have
a calm centre called
the ‘eye’. Whirling
around the eye are
violent winds full of
thunderstorms. This
wall of thunderstorms is
called the ‘eyewall’. The
wind speed of a tropical
cyclone can go up to
three hundred kilometres
per hour.
What ’is needed for a
cyclone
There are three things a The size of the eye of a cyclone can range between eight kilometres and
tropical cyclone needs over two hundred kilometres in diameter. Most often, it is fifteen to fifty
before it begins to form. kilometres wide.
• Warm ocean waters,
which can heat the air
and add moisture to it.
• A powerful mixture of moisture and atmospheric heat and energy that create the force to
move the cyclone.
• Strong winds near the surface of the ocean to make the hot and moist air climb upwards
in a circular movement.
wind speeds and heaviest rainfall.
So long as the storm Did you know?
remains over the sea, it
keeps collecting more The huge winds whirling inside a tropical
and more moisture. cyclone have a power of five hundred trillion
It becomes stronger as
the winds move faster. horsepower. One trillion is one followed by
Once it crosses into twelve zeros—1000,000,000,000!
land or moves over cool
waters, it begins to lose This is no
its power, and the wind ordinary jockey!
speed reduces.
Eye of the storm
Tropical cyclones have
a calm centre called
the ‘eye’. Whirling
around the eye are
violent winds full of
thunderstorms. This
wall of thunderstorms is
called the ‘eyewall’. The
wind speed of a tropical
cyclone can go up to
three hundred kilometres
per hour.
What ’is needed for a
cyclone
There are three things a The size of the eye of a cyclone can range between eight kilometres and
tropical cyclone needs over two hundred kilometres in diameter. Most often, it is fifteen to fifty
before it begins to form. kilometres wide.
• Warm ocean waters,
which can heat the air
and add moisture to it.
• A powerful mixture of moisture and atmospheric heat and energy that create the force to
move the cyclone.
• Strong winds near the surface of the ocean to make the hot and moist air climb upwards
in a circular movement.
wind speeds and heaviest rainfall.
