A tropical cyclone is a rapidly-rotating storm system characterized by a

low-pressure center, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that

produce heavy rain. Tropical cyclones typically form over large bodies of

relatively warm water. They derive their energy from the evaporation of water

from the ocean surface, which ultimately recondenses into clouds and rain when moist air rises and cools to saturation.

• A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a low pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and flooding rain. A tropical cyclone feeds on heat released when moist air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapour contained in the moist air.

• Tropical cyclones are areas of relatively low pressure in the troposphere, with the largest pressure perturbations occurring at low altitudes near the surface. On Earth, the pressures recorded at the centers of tropical cyclones are among the lowest ever observed at sea level.

• The environment near the center of tropical cyclones is warmer than the surroundings at all altitudes, thus they are characterized as "warm core" systems.

• A tropical cyclone's primary energy source is the release of the heat of condensation from water vapor condensing at high altitudes, with solar heating being the initial source for evaporation.

FLOODS

DROUGHTS