Back2Basics: Tropical Cyclones

• What is it: Large low-pressure systems over warm oceans, marked by rotating winds, heavy rain, and storm surges.
• Conditions: Form when ocean temps >27°C, with moist rising air releasing latent heat to fuel convection.
• Rotation: Driven by the Coriolis force – anticlockwise in Northern Hemisphere, clockwise in Southern.
• Structure: Eye (calm), Eyewall (violent winds/rains), Rainbands (widespread showers).
• Regional Names: Typhoons (Pacific), Hurricanes (Atlantic/Caribbean), Cyclones (Indian Ocean).
• Drivers & Frequency: Common in Southeast Asia due to warm Pacific waters, El Niño/La Niña cycles, and climate change.
• Impacts: Loss of life, property damage, flooding, soil salinisation, displacement, and disease outbreaks.
• Climate Change Link: Global warming is making tropical cyclones stronger, less predictable, and more frequent, raising risks for coastal populations.

1. Jet streams occur in the Northern Hemisphere only.

2. Only some cyclones develop an eye.

3. The temperature inside the eye of a cyclone is nearly 10°C lesser than that of the surroundings.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Options: (a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 2 only * (d) 1 and 3 only