|
|
| | | Navigate the Atlas:  | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| | | Cyclones, hurricanes and typhoons |
Maintained by FAO-FI
 |
| |
Text-only Printer-friendly version
| | Cyclones, hurricanes and typhoons | | |  | | Photo title: Cyclone Nargis approaches Myanmar | | Photo credit: Sentinel Asia - Flood Monitoring Service | | Tropical Cyclones are low pressure systems that form over warm tropical waters and have gale force winds (sustained winds of 63 km/h or greater and gusts in excess of 90 km/h) near the centre. Severe tropical cyclones are called hurricanes or typhoons in some parts of the world. Tropical Cyclones are dangerous because they produce destructive winds, heavy rainfall with flooding and damaging storm surges that can cause inundation of low-lying coastal areas. | | | | Storm surges and tides | | |  | | Photo title: Storm Surge with cyclone | | Photo credit: Bureau of Meteorology, Australian Government | Potentially, the most destructive phenomenon associated with tropical cyclones that make landfall is the storm surge. In Myanmar, on 3 May 2008, a storm surge from Cyclone Nargis of a 3.5 m high wave flooded low lying regions of the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) Delta. The removal of mangrove forests, which serve as a buffer between the rising tide, big waves and storms and residential areas contributed to the death toll. Saltwater flooding of the delta will damage future planting of rice for the foreseeable future.
For more information on Cyclone dangers and impacts, storm surge and tides, naming of cyclones and the severity categories of Tropical cyclones, See More .
With acknowledgement to the Bureau of Meteorology, Australian Government. | | | | |
 | | | | |
| NOAA Report Uncovers Why Some People Don’t Heed Severe Weather Warnings
NOAA Media Release 09 March 2009 |  |
| | In September 2008 dozens of people died when Hurricane Ike struck Galveston, Texas, even after the weather forecast office in Houston issued a dire warning to residents to heed evacuation orders. NOAA has recently issued a report, Service Assessment of the Super Tuesday Tornado Outbreak of February 5-6, 2008, which addresses a key area of concern: why some people take cover while others ride out severe weather. | |
Read more at http://www.noaanews.noaa ... port.html.
| |
Other News |
|
|
|
963 Topics - 4302 Related Knowledge - 10421 Members - 45 Editors |
freeMem:245,122,736 totMem:431,947,776 reqNum:90162 openSessions:0 generationTime:2010/03/18 08:08:51 |
E-Mail Topic link