Science Common Sense

1574 - What is the mechanism for the formation of typhoons?

A typhoon is a strong storm that forms over the ocean. The process of its formation is like this:

1. Warm ocean water: When the sun heats the ocean water in the Pacific or Indian Ocean, it evaporates and rises up as water vapor.

2. Moist air rises: As the warm air rises, it cools down and condenses into clouds. This creates low air pressure near the ocean surface.

3. Air moves in: Air from surrounding areas moves in to fill the low air pressure. As it moves in, it starts to spin due to the Earth's rotation.

4. Spinning, growing: As more air rises, the spinning becomes stronger. The clouds grow and release a lot of heat, making the storm even stronger.

5. Eye of the storm: The center of the storm becomes the 'eye', a calm area with low air pressure.

A typhoon is formed when the storm is strong enough to have maximum wind speeds above 119 km/h.