What is a typhoon? How is a typhoon formed?

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:43

The Chinese call this natural phenomenon the "Ring of Iron Winds", while South Americans and Europeans call it a typhoon. The air in this case is not intangible and fluid, since it is already a rather solid matter that strikes like military shells! So, in this article, we will learn what a typhoon is and how it forms.

Through the eyes of eyewitnesses

Any person who has had the imprudence to dive unsuccessfully into the water, jumping from a great height, knows that even such a liquid matter as water can turn out to be so solid that it causes significant pain to the body. So the typhoon works on the same principle: the air during this tropical cyclone becomes hard, like a wall.

What is a typhoon? In the chronicles describing the cases of human encounters with these tropical cyclones, there is a story that most accurately characterizes it. One experienced captain of a merchant ship described this element in the following words: “A typhoon is not a wind, it is a wall. It's made of iron. This is understandable: a wind blowing at a speed of 200 km / h will be 4 times more powerfulair streams, the speed of which is 100 km / h. Why? This is due to the energy of the moving mass, which increases in proportion to the square of its speed.

Many people know firsthand what a typhoon is. Eyewitnesses describe with horror the situation prevailing inside this cyclone. According to them, around the air becomes completely invisible, and a kind of spit passes above the ground. “This is not bad weather, this is a real national disaster!” - notice the surviving eyewitnesses of the violence of the natural elements. According to them, a powerful "iron" wind uproots not only huge trees, but also grass.

What is a typhoon? Definition

In translation from Chinese, “typhoon” means “strong wind”, and in translation from Greek, “typhon” (a mystical monster personifying winds, hurricanes and storms). This element is a type of tropical cyclone typical of the Pacific Northwest. The greatest decrease in air pressure on the surface is observed in the central part of the typhoon.

Where do they originate, these cyclones?

According to the reports of seismologists and meteorologists, the zone of greatest activity of these tropical cyclones, which, unfortunately, accounts for a third of the total number of certain elements on our planet, is located between the coast of East Asia (in the west), the equator (on south) and the date line (east). Seismologists have calculated that most of all typhoons form from May to November. However, in recent years, this natural disaster has occurred chaotically and independently ofseason.

Scientists recall that the 1991 typhoon season was especially devastating. Then several cyclones raged off the coast of Japan at once. This element from time to time directly affects the borders of our country. For example, typhoons are thrown to the coast of the Far East after their main blow was received by Japan, Korea and the Ryukyu Islands. The Kuril Islands, Kamchatka, Sakhalin and Primorsky Krai are at risk.

The grounds for the occurrence of the elements

So, above we learned what a typhoon is (the definition for children is a big whirling wind), now let's figure out how it is born. The reason for the occurrence of this tropical cyclone is a rather strong sea. The accompanying heavy rainfall adds fuel to the fire. It is this time that is characterized by the change of monsoons in the eastern and southern seas of Asia (from Arabia to Japan).

It is worth noting that any winds come to Earth from Space, in particular, due to increased activity of the Sun. While some of them are beneficial to people (coolness, moisture), others sow catastrophic destruction (storms, tornadoes, tornadoes, hurricanes). According to most meteorologists, favorable conditions for the emergence of typhoons on the tropical front occur when the surface of sea water is heated to a temperature of 30 degrees Celsius.

How does a tropical cyclone start?

What is a typhoon in terms of its origin?This is, of course, a gradually developing hurricane. Yes, you heard right, it was a hurricane! When the water surface is heated, increased evaporation of moisture occurs, which, in turn, absorbs thermal energy. At this time, warm air comes into contact with the upper cooled air masses that reign in the atmosphere. All this provokes the formation of clouds that turn into rain. Precipitation, in turn, is forced to release a large amount of thermal energy into the surrounding atmosphere.

All of the above atmospheric phenomena lead to a strong thrust upwards and the suction of new masses of moist air from the water surface. If the above cycle is repeated, then its intensity increases many times, which leads to a kind of giant air pump. This is the powerful mechanism of a hurricane. Two elements unite together - wind and water. At this time, they acquire a terrible and destructive power.

Is a typhoon an under-hurricane?

Scientists don't quite understand what a typhoon is. For children, it is characterized as a strong eddy-like wind/hurricane. But for scientists to determine the line between these two cyclones is currently not possible. Why? The fact is that meteorologists still do not understand the conditions under which hurricanes occur in the Pacific Ocean, and it is the Pacific cyclone that is usually called a typhoon.

As a rule, this element sweeps across the land in a narrow strip and has a truly destructive power. A tropical cyclone claims dozens and hundreds of human lives, not to mention huge material losses. Typhoons are jokingly called underhurricanes. Of course, they have something in common: in the first, as in the second, air masses move around the center, which, in turn, also serves as the center with the lowest atmospheric pressure.

Trajectory and speed

What is a typhoon (photos are presented in the article) in terms of its trajectory? As we noted above, this is a chaotic cyclone. Note that its trajectory has never been and never will be rectilinear. His speed is also variable. Sometimes the typhoon moves swiftly, and sometimes it travels only a few miles per hour. Sometimes this half-hurricane just stops halfway. Scientists say this is due to the fact that the cyclone does not reach high altitudes in the atmosphere.

At sea…

What is a typhoon in the sea? Navigators call the center of this most powerful tropical cyclone the “eye”. Why? The closer to its center, the stronger its wind. This provokes a powerful excitement of sea waters. Waves propagate in all directions, changing them more and more often. Often in the center of the cyclone, the wind can suddenly subside and the clouds dissipate, but the sea does not calm down. Few ships can cross the "eye of a typhoon" without damage. Usually sailors try to avoid its central part.