The storm begins as a tropical disturbance, which typically occurs when loosely organized cumulonimbus clouds in an easterly wave begin to show signs of a weak circulation. Once the wind speed increases to 36 km (23 miles) per hour, the storm is classified as a tropical depression.
How does a tropical depression form?
What must happen for a tropical depression to form?
As the heat energy is released from the cooling water vapor, the air at the top of the clouds becomes warmer, making the air pressure higher and causing winds to move outward away from the high pressure area. … When the winds reach between 25 and 38 mph, the storm is called a tropical depression.
What is a tropical depression and how does it become a hurricane?
A tropical depression is a tropical cyclone that has maximum sustained surface winds (one-minute average) of 38 mph (33 knots) or less. Tropical Storm. A tropical storm is a tropical cyclone that has maximum sustained surface winds ranging from 39-73 mph (34 to 63 knots). Hurricane.
How is a tropical storm formed?
Tropical storms usually form between 5° and 30° latitude. When the ocean surface waters reaches at least 27°C due to solar heating, the warm air above the water rises quickly, causing an area of very low pressure. As the air rises quickly more warm moist air is drawn upwards from above the ocean creating strong winds.
Where do most tropical depressions form?
5 days ago Ocean basins and peak seasons Almost 90 percent of these storms form within 20° north or south of the Equator. Poleward of those latitudes, sea surface temperatures are too cool to allow tropical cyclones to form, and mature storms moving that far north or south will begin to dissipate.
How long does a tropical depression last?
They can last for weeks, but they tend to lose power once they hit land, getting downgraded to a tropical storm again and then back to a tropical depression. Instead of numbers, hurricanes get names, which are selected from a pre-determined list that gets recycled every six years.
Do tropical depressions turn into hurricanes?
As a storm grows, it changes. It starts as a tropical disturbance. Then, with cyclonic circulation and faster wind speeds, it becomes a tropical depression. If the wind keeps getting faster, it becomes a tropical storm and then a hurricane if winds are more than 74 miles per hour (mph).
Can a depression turn into a hurricane?
If sustained wind speeds increase to at least 35 knots, a tropical depression is upgraded to a tropical storm. Surface wind speeds vary between 35 and 64 knots and the storm becomes more organized. Tropical storms resemble the appearance of hurricanes due to the intensified circulation.
What is a tropical depression definition for kids?
an atmospheric low-pressure system originating in the tropics, specifically, a tropical cyclone in which the maximum sustained wind speed is 38 miles per hour (62 kilometers per hour) or less.