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WeatherQuesting
Also,
WonderQuest
with April Holladay
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Hurricane spin speeds at various latitudesContinued from Why hurricanes spin counterclockwise (and cyclones clockwise):
It is easy to see how different rotational speeds at different latitudes cause a counterclockwise rotation, when we examine the speeds themselves. The latitude of Hurricane Ivan's low is about 29 degrees north; so, the low rotates west to east about 908 mph (1460 k/h). Hurricane Ivan extends north to about 35 degrees north (about the latitude of Spartanburg, SC). The air at this latitude spin about 852 mph (1370 k/h) — slower than the low. Ivan sweeps south to about 24.5 degrees north; those air masses spin at about 945 mph (1520) — faster than the low. The diagram shows these two most northerly and most southerly air masses, and some points in between. I subtracted the speed of the low (908 mph) from each of the W to E speeds, to give the speeds relative to the low. The winds north of the low blow from east to west, as indicated by the little red arrows. The winds south of the low blow from west to east, relative to the low. The result is counterclockwise motion. (To illustrate the concept, I read the latitudes off the figure and are, therefore, approximate.) (Answered March 10, 2008) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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