Cyclones
Did you know that cyclones can reach wind speeds of over 240 kph?
How do they form?
Cyclones form if there is a body of water that is 26.5oc or over, they also need it to be calm. The warm water heats up the air which makes it rise and then cold air replaces the warm air’s spot then heats up and rises, this happens until the eye forms and then more clouds forms, these are called rainbands and they create rings around the eye.
The parts of a cyclone
- Eye. The eye of a cyclone is very calm and it makes the illusion that the storm is over. The cold air falls down in eye but the warm air rises up in a spiral pattern
- Eye wall. The eye wall is the most windy part of the cyclone. The winds in the eye wall are the fastest winds of the cyclone, therefore it is the most dangerous part of the cyclone
- Rainbands. Rain bands are the main sources of wind because of how big they can get. Winds in rainbands get stronger the closer they are to the eye of the cyclone.
Māori connection
Tāwhirimātea is the god of wind and rain.
Example of impact to New Zealand
Over 900 mm of rain fell within 3 days, the max amount of water in gisborne was 917 mm, 3000 were evacuated and a bridge was destroyed.
How to get through it
Store all your drinking water and fill bathtubs and sinks with water. Make sure you have made a survival kit.
Trivia
The eye of a cyclone can be 100KM wide! Cyclones can cause storm surges and it can destroy houses!
Bibliography
IStorm by Anita Ganeri 2014
Cyclones are dangerous because of their high wind speed. You should learn how to survive cyclone so the next time it happens you can get through it alive.
