UNIVERSITY OF CEBU
Maritime Education Program
Title: Meteorology & Oceanography
Course: MET-O Topic: Characteristics of Various Weather Systems & Tropical
Period: Semi-Finals Revolving Storms
Week: 11
Learning
⮚Outcomes
After completing this subject, the cadet will be able to:
Determine the best action when navigating in a
tropical revolving storm.
Characteristics of Various
Weather Systems & Tropical
Revolving Storms
Various Weather Systems
Weather systems refer to the large-scale atmospheric
phenomena that drive weather patterns across regions.
• High Pressure Systems
• Low Pressure Systems
• Fronts
• Monsoons
• Tropical Cyclones
• Anticyclones
High Pressure Systems
• These are areas where the atmospheric pressure at the
surface is higher than its surroundings.
• High-pressure systems are associated with clear skies, light
winds, and stable weather conditions.
• Air moves downward and diverges outward from these
systems.
HIGH PRESSURE
• IS A PRESSURE SURROUNDED BY LOW PRESSURE.
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Low Pressure Systems
• These are areas where the atmospheric pressure at the
surface is lower than its surroundings.
• Low-pressure systems are associated with cloudy skies,
precipitation, and often windy conditions.
• Air converges and rises in these systems, leading to cloud
formation and potential storm development.
LOW PRESSURE
• IS A PRESSURE SURROUNDED BY HIGH PRESSURE.
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Weather Fronts
Fronts are boundaries between different air masses with distinct temperature, humidity, and
density characteristics.
• Cold Fronts: Formed when a cold air mass advances and displaces a warmer air mass,
leading to the rapid lifting of warm air, condensation, and potentially intense
precipitation.
• Warm Fronts: Formed when a warm air mass advances and rises over a colder air
mass, leading to gradual lifting, widespread cloudiness, and light precipitation.
• Stationary Fronts: Formed when neither a cold nor warm air mass advances
significantly, resulting in a quasi-stable boundary where weather conditions can persist
for several days, often leading to prolonged precipitation.
• Occluded Fronts: Formed when a fast-moving cold front overtakes a slower-moving
warm front, lifting warm air aloft and creating complex weather patterns with
precipitation.
Weather Fronts
Monsoons
• Monsoons are seasonal wind patterns that bring distinct wet and dry
periods to certain regions.
• They are common in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and parts of Africa, and
are driven by temperature differences between land and ocean, leading
to strong seasonal rainfall patterns.
• Northeast Monsoon (Amihan) – cool and dry.
Southwest Monsoon (Habagat) – hot and humid.
Monsoons
Tropical Cyclones
• Also known as hurricanes or typhoons depending on the
region, these are intense low-pressure systems that form over
warm ocean waters.
• They are characterized by strong winds, heavy rainfall, and
can cause significant damage to coastal areas.
• They are associated with fronts, precipitation, and often bring
stormy weather.
Tropical Cyclones
Hurricanes
• Hurricanes are tropical cyclones that form over the North Atlantic Ocean
and the northeastern Pacific Ocean. They typically affect regions such as
the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and the eastern coast of the United States.
• The term is primarily used in the Atlantic basin, which includes the North
Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico.
Typhoons
• Typhoons are also tropical cyclones but are specifically used to describe
those that form over the northwestern Pacific Ocean. They often affect
countries in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the western Pacific region.
• The term is commonly used in the western Pacific basin, which includes
areas such as the Philippines, Japan, China, and Vietnam.
Tropical Cyclones
• Despite the different names, hurricanes and typhoons share similar
characteristics.
• They both originate as tropical disturbances, intensify into tropical
depressions, then tropical storms, and finally into hurricanes or typhoons
when their wind speeds reach a certain threshold.
• Both hurricanes and typhoons are powerful storms characterized by
strong winds, heavy rainfall, storm surges, and the potential for
significant damage to coastal areas and infrastructure.
• The main distinction lies in their geographical locations and the naming
conventions used by meteorological organizations in those regions.
Tropical Cyclones
Anticyclones
• Similar to high-pressure systems, anticyclones are areas of
high atmospheric pressure but are often larger and more long-
lived.
• They are associated with calm weather, clear skies, and can
lead to temperature inversions and pollution buildup in urban
areas.
• Anticyclones form when air descends and diverges at the
surface due to various factors such as cooling, subsidence, or
the influence of surrounding weather systems.
Tropical Disturbances
• A tropical disturbance refers to a region of disturbed weather in the
tropics or subtropics that is characterized by organized convection
(thunderstorms) and atmospheric instability.
• These disturbances are the earliest stage in the development of tropical
cyclones, including tropical depressions, tropical storms, and
hurricanes/typhoons.
• While not all tropical disturbances develop into tropical cyclones, they
serve as the initial stages where atmospheric conditions may become
favorable for further intensification.
• Also known as “Easterly Waves”.
Tropical Depression
• A tropical depression is a type of tropical cyclone that represents the
2nd stage of organized tropical weather systems.
• Tropical depressions typically originate from tropical disturbances.
(usually above 26°C of ocean water temp).
• Tropical depressions can either dissipate due to unfavorable
environmental conditions or intensify further into tropical storms and
potentially hurricanes or typhoons, depending on factors such as sea
surface temperatures, atmospheric moisture, and wind shear.
• Tropical Depression (TD): Maximum sustained winds of 25 to 38 knots.
Tropical Storm
• A tropical storm is a type of tropical cyclone that represents the next stage
of organization and intensity after a tropical depression.
• Tropical storms typically develop from tropical depressions when
atmospheric conditions become more favorable for intensification, such as
warmer sea surface temperatures, reduced vertical wind shear, and
increased atmospheric moisture.
• A tropical storm is defined by maximum sustained winds ranging from 39
to 73 knots.
• Tropical storms have a closed circulation of low pressure at the surface,
with a well-defined center known as the "center of circulation."
Hurricane or Typhoon
• Both hurricanes and typhoons originate from warm ocean waters
and are fueled by latent heat released from condensation within
thunderstorms.
• They have similar characteristics, including a well-defined eye at the
center surrounded by spiral bands of intense convection.
• Hurricanes and typhoons form over warm ocean waters (typically
26°C or warmer) when atmospheric conditions are conducive to
convection and low wind shear.
Hurricane or Typhoon
• They develop from tropical disturbances, progress to tropical
depressions, then tropical storms, and finally intensify into
hurricanes/typhoons as their wind speeds increase.
• Hurricanes/typhoons are classified based on their maximum
sustained wind speeds using the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind
Scale (for hurricanes) or the Typhoon Intensity Scale (for typhoons).
• Categories range from Category 1 (weakest) to Category 5
(strongest), with Category 5 hurricanes/typhoons having wind
speeds of 64 knots and higher.
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale
Typhoon Intensity Scale
Precursory Signs of Low Pressure
• Low-pressure systems in the atmosphere can bring about various
weather conditions, and there are several precursory signs that
meteorologists and weather enthusiasts look for to anticipate the
development or presence of a low-pressure area.
1. Atmospheric Pressure
2. Cloud Patterns
3. Winds
4. Temperature Changes
5. Weather Patterns
6. Satellite and Radar Observations
Precursory Signs of Low Pressure
Atmospheric Pressure
• A significant drop in barometric pressure is often an early indicator
of an approaching low-pressure system. Barometric pressure is
measured using a barometer, and a rapid decrease in pressure
indicates the potential for unsettled weather, usually 5 hPa below
standard barometric pressure reading.
• Standard atmospheric pressure at sea level is 1013.25 hPa
Precursory Signs of Low Pressure
Cloud Patterns
1. Cumulus Clouds
• Puffy, cotton-like clouds that develop vertically, indicating rising air
and atmospheric instability.
2. Cirrus Clouds
• Wispy, high-altitude clouds that can precede the arrival of a frontal
system associated with low pressure.
Precursory Signs of Low Pressure
Wind Direction and Speed
• Changes in wind direction and speed can signal the approach
of a low-pressure system.
• In the Northern Hemisphere, winds tend to rotate
counterclockwise around low-pressure centers, so a shift in
wind direction from easterly or northeasterly to southerly or
southwesterly may indicate the approach of a low-pressure
area.
BUY’S BALLOT LAW
Northern Hemisphere
Face the wind. The Low
Pressure area is
towards to the right and
slightly behind. The
High Pressure area is
towards to the left and
slightly in front.
BUY’S BALLOT LAW
Southern Hemisphere
Face the wind. The Low
Pressure area is towards
to the left and slightly
behind. The High
Pressure area is towards
to the right and slightly in
front.
Precursory Signs of Low Pressure
Temperature Changes
• Low-pressure systems are often associated with changes in
temperature patterns.
• In the warm sector ahead of a low-pressure system,
temperatures may rise, while in the cold sector behind it,
temperatures may drop.
• Rapid temperature fluctuations or an increase in humidity can
also be indicative of an approaching low-pressure area.
Precursory Signs of Low Pressure
Weather Patterns
• Low-pressure systems are often associated with unsettled
weather conditions, including the potential for precipitation
such as rain, snow, or storms.
• The development of thunderstorms, lightning, or convective
clouds (cumulonimbus clouds) can be precursors to the
presence of a low-pressure system.
Precursory Signs of Low Pressure
Satellite and Radar Observations
• Meteorologists use satellite imagery and radar data to monitor
cloud patterns, precipitation, and atmospheric conditions associated
with low-pressure systems.
• Satellite images showing cloud formations, cyclonic rotations, or
areas of atmospheric convergence and divergence can help identify
the presence and movement of low-pressure systems.\
• Radar onboard ships are also used to detect weather condition
ahead of ship’s course.
Tropical Revolving Storm
• Tropical Revolving Storm is an intense rotating depression
(a region of low pressure at the surface) which develops over
the tropical oceans.
• It consists of a rotating mass of warm and humid air and
creates strong winds, thunderstorm , heavy rains, very heavy
seas and swell etc.
• A TRS is divided into 2 semicircle parts, the NAVIGABLE and
DANGEROUS Semicircle.
The Semicircles
Navigable Semicircle
• It is the side of a tropical cyclone, which lies to the left of observer
in the direction of movement of the storm in the Northern
hemisphere (to the right of the observer in the Southern
Hemisphere), where the winds are weaker and better for the
navigation purpose, although all parts of TRS are more or less
dangerous to mariners , at least 100 nm should be maintained in
this Semicircle to avoid severe damages to vessel caused by the high
sea & swells.
The Semicircles
Dangerous Semicircle
• It is the side of a tropical cyclone, which lies to the right of the
observer of the direction of movement of the storm in the Northern
Hemisphere (to the left of the observer in the Southern
Hemisphere), where the storm has the strongest winds and heavy
seas, at least 180-200 nm of distance should be maintained to avoid
severe damages to the vessel caused by the high seas & swells.
Veering and Backing Wind
Veering Wind – warm air advection
• Veering wind refers to a change in wind direction in a clockwise
manner with height or over time. In the Northern Hemisphere,
veering winds rotate clockwise.
Backing Wind – cold air advection
• Backing wind refers to a change in wind direction in a
counterclockwise manner with height or over time. In the Northern
Hemisphere, backing winds rotate counterclockwise.
Evasive Action at Northern Hemisphere
Semicircle ACTION
Dangerous Place wind 1- 4 points on
starboard bow altering course to
starboard as the wind veers.
Navigable or at Place wind on starboard quarter
the path of the altering course to port as the wind
storm
veers.
Evasive Action at Southern Hemisphere
Semicircle ACTION
Dangerous Place wind 1- 4 points on port bow
altering course to port as the wind
backs.
Navigable or at Place wind on port quarter altering
the path of the course to starboard as the wind
storm
backs.
Q&A Session
Thank you for listening!
Lesson
Completed
