Cyclones and anti-cyclones are the primary meteorological systems that shape your weather. While anti-cyclones are associated with periods of fair weather, cyclones are responsible for shorter periods of foul weather. This foul weather ranges from overcast skies and steady rains to thunderstorms and gusty winds.

Mid-latitude cyclones form in environments with strong horizontal temperature gradients, while tropical cyclones form in environments with weak horizontal temperature gradients (but they create strong horizontal temperature gradients internally). Mid-latitude cyclones, on the other hand, lack a warm core.

Mid-latitude cyclones form at the polar front when the temperature difference between two air masses is large. These air masses blow past each other in opposite directions. Coriolis effect deflects winds to the right in the Northern Hemisphere, causing the winds to strike the polar front at an angle.

The Coriolis force deflects the air that is being drawn into the surface low-pressure centre, setting up a cyclonic rotation. In the Northern Hemisphere the direction of the resulting circulation around the low is counterclockwise, and in the Southern Hemisphere it is clockwise.

Hurricanes and other tropical cyclones are highly unpredictable and can change direction quickly.

As a storm moves across the ocean, it picks up warm, moist air from the surface and dispenses cooler air aloft. As the storm makes landfall, it loses momentum, no longer fueled by the warm ocean air.

(CN) – Ahead of this year’s hurricane season for the Atlantic Basin, research released Monday suggests that wetlands could serve as better and more cost-effective protection from such storms than engineered solutions such as sea walls and levees.

State with the highest chance of a hurricane being a major hurricane