Unusually Strong Cyclone Off the Brazilian Coast
Explanation:
How did this huge cyclone form?
An
unusually strong storm -- perhaps the strongest
storm in the recorded history of the South
Atlantic Ocean --
crossed the coast of
Brazil last week.
Cyclones this powerful,
classified by some as the first ever
Category 1 Hurricane, are very rare in the South Atlantic.
Tropical cyclones are large regions of low pressure with little
vertical wind shear that typically
form over regions of warm water, which
power the cyclone through
evaporation.
Reports of relatively cold air in the center indicate,
however, that
this storm was
extratropical.
The
storm
was dubbed Caterina by local meteorologists,
although no formal naming precedents exist in this part of the world.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
