LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Tropical Cyclone: Winds
built 261 days ago
Starting from 1884, a system of drum, ball and cone was employed to give information to the mariners in the harbour on the existence and approximate location of a tropical cyclone. For the local public a typhoon gun was used to warn imminent gale force winds brought about by tropical cyclones. In 1907, explosive bombs replaced the typhoon gun as they made louder sounds and were considered an improvement over the firing of a gun. The last typhoon boom was exploded in 1937.
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Tropical cyclones with winds exceeding 33 metres a second are given names. These names are taken from lists which vary from region to region. The lists are decided upon either by national meteorological organizations, or by committees of the World Meteorological Organization. The names on the list are reused; ... tropical cyclones which cause major death or destruction have their names retired.
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A tropical cyclone is a name used to describe circle shaped weather with a low pressure middle and group of a thunderstorms. All tropical cyclones form over the warm ocean waters in the warm part of Earth near the equator. Most tropical cyclones create strong winds and sometimes even heavy rain. While some tropical cyclones stay out in the sea, other cyclones often make "landfall" which can sometimes be dangerous because they can make a lot of damage.
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A non-frontal low pressure system that has characteristics of both tropical and extratropical cyclones. The most common type is an upper-level cold low with circulation extending to the surface layer and maximum sustained winds generally occurring at a radius of about 100 miles or more from the center. In comparison to tropical cyclones, such systems have a relatively broad zone of maximum winds that is located farther from the center, and typically have a less symmetric wind field and distribution of convection. A second type of subtropical cyclone is a mesoscale low originating in or near a frontolyzing zone of horizontal wind shear, with radius of maximum sustained winds generally less than 30 miles. The entire circulation may initially have a diameter of less than 100 miles. These generally short-lived systems may be either cold core or warm core.
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The eye of a tropical cyclone is surrounded by an eyewall. The eyewall is the area of highest surface winds in the tropical cyclone. It is composed of many strong updrafts and downdrafts. The mechanisms by which the eye and the eyewall are formed are not well understood but it is generally thought that the eye feature is a fundamental component to all rotating fluids. Thus, it is similar to water that is going down the drain!
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Tropical cyclones are usually given names, because this helps in forecasting, tracking, and reporting. They are named once they have steady winds of 62 km/h. Committees of the World Meteorological Organization pick names. Once named, a cyclone is usually not renamed.
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