Hurricanes & Tropical Cyclones: notes page

Tropical cyclones do not form within the equatorial zone, about 5 degrees latitude north or south of the equator.

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Subtropical means the area next to the tropics.

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The Atlantic Basin includes the North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico.

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The tropics is the name of the area between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.

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Low wind shear means that there is not too much change in wind direction and strength at different levels (low, middle, high) of the atmosphere.

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The word knot, when used to mean speed, means one nautical mile per hour. A nautical mile is a little longer than a mile on land: 1 nautical mile = 1,853 meters or 6,080 feet.

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The necessary conditions for tropical storms to strengthen are warm ocean temperatures, lots of moisture in the middle and upper part of the atmosphere, and light winds in the upper part of the atmosphere.

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119 kilometers per hour is the same as 74 miles per hour or 64 knots.

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63 kilometers per hour is the same as 39 miles per hour or 34 knots.

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