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| CYCLONES AND TORNADOES. Nature’s Fury. |
A cyclone is a rotating storm that can be hundreds of
kilometers wide. These storms can be very destructive. The winds in a cyclone
usually blow at more than 120 kilometers per hour.
When a cyclone starts in the warmer waters of the
Atlantic Ocean, it is called a 'hurricane'. In the western Pacific Ocean, it is
known as a 'typhoon.'
From above, a cyclone looks like a huge spinning
doughnut of clouds. The centre of the storm, the doughnut hole, is called the
'eye'. The eye is quiet and cloudless. When the eye passes overhead, it might
seem like the storm has ended. But within an hour or two, the eye passes and
the other side of the storm hits.
With its strong winds a cyclone also brings flooding
rains and sometimes very high ocean waves. When a cyclone hits land, it causes
severe damage. The combination of wind, rain, and waves can knock down trees,
flatten houses and wash away roads.
Most cyclones start over tropical oceans because areas
of warm water are their source of energy. Strong rotating winds that start on
land are called a 'tornado'. A tornado such as the one pictured here, starts
for different reasons and is smaller than a cyclone. But a tornado also has
very strong winds, so it too can be very destructive. It can knock a train off
its track or lift a house straight into the air. Fortunately, tornadoes usually
die soon after they start.
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