How Thunderstorms Becomes Cyclone

Before cloud formation, water takes up heat from the atmosphere to change into vapour. When water vapour changes back to liquid form as raindrops, this heat is released to the atmosphere. The heat released to the atmosphere warms the air around. The air tends to rise and causes a drop in pressure. More air rushes to the centre of the storm. This cycle is repeated. The chain of events ends with the formation of a very low pressure system with very high speed winds revolving around it. It is this weather condition that we called it cyclone. Factors like wind speed, wind direction, temperature and humidity contribute to the development of cyclone.

Cyclones can be very destructive. Strong winds push water towards the shore even if the storm is hundreds of kilometers away. These are the first indications of approaching cyclones. The water waves produced by the wind are so powerful that a person cannot overcome them.

Structure of cyclone 

The centre of the cyclone is a calm area. It is called the eye of the storm. A large cyclone is a violently rotating mass of air in the atmosphere, 10 to 15 km high. The diameter of the eye varies from 10 to 30 km. It is a region free of clouds and has light winds. Around this calm and clear eye, there is a cloud region of about 150 km in size. In this region there are high speed winds 150 - 250 km per hour and thick clouds with heavy rain. Away from this region the wind speed gradually decreases. The formation of a cyclone is a very complex process.

“In Orissa, 18 October, 1999 the cyclone smashed 45,000 houses making 7,00,000 people homeless. On 29 October the same year, a second cyclone with wind speed of 260 km/h hit Orissa again. It was accompanied by water waves about 9 m high. Thousands of people lost their lives."

Thunderstorms

Thunderstorms develop in hot, humid tropical areas like India very frequently. The rising temperatures produce strong upward rising winds. These winds carry water droplets upwards, where they freeze, and fall down again. The swift movement of the falling water droplets along with the rising air create lightening and sound. It is called thunderstorm.

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