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Home / IAS Preparation / Tropical Cyclone: Geography NCERT Notes For UPSC

Tropical Cyclone: Geography NCERT Notes For UPSC

Last Updated on Apr 04, 2025
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The rapid inward air circulation around a low-pressure area is called cyclones. Circulation of air is in both anticlockwise direction in the Northern hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern hemisphere. It is always accompanied by thundering storms and bad weather. The word cyclone means coils of a snake and this term was coined by Henry Peddington because the tropical storms in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea appear like coiled serpents of the sea.

Cyclones which originate over the warm tropical oceans with a speed of approx more than 119 Km/hr and heavy rainfall are called tropical cyclones. This damage is not from wind but from secondary events like storms, surges, flooding, landslides and tornadoes.

Tropical cyclones are known to be the most destructive one also known by typhoons or hurricanes. In the year 2020. The Amphan cyclone created from the Bay of Bengal and turned into a “super cyclonic storm”. It was the second super cyclone after 1999. Another cyclone which hit Mumbai after a gap of 129 years.

Check the NCERT notes on Types of Rainfall here .

Read the complete NCERT notes on the Tropical Cyclone thoroughly for UPSC preparation.

Tropical Cyclone (UPSC Geography) NCERT Notes: Download PDF Here!

What Is a Tropical Cyclone?

Violent cyclone or storm that originates from the oceans in a tropical area and further they move over to the coastal areas bringing about large scale destruction which is caused by violent high speed winds, very heavy rainfall and storm surges, it is called tropical cyclone. They are known to be one of the most devastating natural calamities in the world, as they cause huge loss to life as well properties. The irregular wind movement which involves close circulation of air around a low pressure center and further this close circulation causes rapid upward movement of hot air which is subjected to Coriolis force. The low pressure which is present at the center, maintains the speed of wind.

Condition which are favourable for the formation and intensification of tropical storms are listed below:

  • Large sea surface with temperature more than 270C. 
  • Coriolis force presence. 
  • Variation in the speed on vertical speed. 
  • Existence of weak low pressure. 
  • Presence of upper divergence above the sea level.

Check the detailed UPSC Mains Syllabus here!

Characteristic Features of Tropical Cyclone

  • Tropical cyclones have “hurricanes” in the North Atlantic Ocean and Easter North Pacific region. 
  • The Southern Pacific and Indian Ocean serve tropical cyclones. 

Formation of Tropical Cyclone

Formation of tropical cyclone is divided into three steps:

A. Formation and Initial Development Stage: 

This first step of tropical cyclone development depends upon factors like the transfer of water vapour and heat from the warm ocean to the overlying air, primarily by evaporation from the sea surface. This process leads to the formation of massive vertical cumulus clouds because of convection with the process condensation of rising air above the ocean surface.

B. Mature Stage:

Once the tropical storm gets intensified the air starts rising in upward direction with vigorous thunderstorms and tends to spread out horizontally at the tropopause level. After spreading of air out a positive pressure is produced at a high level which causes acceleration of downward motion of air due to convection. Air gets warmer by compression because of inducement of subsidence this leads to generation of war ‘EYE’ or low pressure center. One of the major features of mature tropical cyclones in the Indian ocean is a concentric pattern of highly turbulent giant cumulus thundercloud bands.

C. Modification and Decay:

The only thing which can weaken tropical cyclones is its central low pressure, internal warmth and extremely high speeds; this is only possible when its source of warm moist air begins to abruptly cut off. This is only possible after landfall or when it passes over cold water.

Check the NCERT Notes Geography on Structure of Atmosphere here.

Tropical Cyclones in Different Region

There are different names given for different regions of cyclones in the world for example: its Typhoons in China Sea and Pacific Ocean, West Indian Island it is known as Hurricanes whereas in Guinea lands of West Africa and southern USA known as Tornados and in Indian ocean it is known as tropical cyclone. This system of giving names to tropical cyclones is a recent system and in this naming several countries are involved and is done under the aegis of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

A formula for cyclones got approval in 2004 for Indian Ocean. There are a total of eight countries in this region: Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand. And all these countries assigned a set of names when a tropical cyclone will hit Indian Ocean. Some names which were given to cyclones in the Indian ocean region are Hudhud, Titli, Phethai, Fani, Vayu and Amphan.

Study the NCERT Notes Geography on Extra Tropical Cyclones for UPSC exam.

Structure of Tropical Cyclone

A. Eyeball

The term ‘eye; refers to a rough circular area of comparatively light winds and fair weather found at the center of a severe tropical cyclone. In it there is no or little precipitation and sometimes blue sky and stars are also seen. 

It is a region where there is lowest surface pressure and warmest temperature in the upper level. The temperature of the eye may be 100C aramer or more than that at an altitude of 12Km than the atmosphere surrounding it, but this variation is only of 0-20C warmer at the tropical cyclone surface. 

The size of eyes varies from 8 km to over 200 km but on an average its diameter is 30-60 Km.

B. Eye Wall 

The layer which surrounds the eye is called the eye wall. They are rough circular rings of deep convection which is the area of highest surface winds in the tropical cyclone. The maximum sustained wind i.e. fastest winds in a cyclone is seen in the eye wall region. Composition of the eyeball is air that is slowly sinking and the eye wall has a net upward flow, which occur because of many moderate – occasionally strong – updrafts and downdrafts

C. Spiral Bands 

Another feature of tropical cyclones that plays a major role in formation and maintenance of the eye is the eyeball convection. In tropical cyclones convection is organized into long, narrow rain bands which are oriented in the same direction as the horizontal wind. As this band looks like a spiral into the center it is known as spiral bands.

Study the NCERT Notes Geography on Extra Tropical Cyclones for UPSC exam.

Tropical Cyclones in India

The Origin point of tropical cyclones is the Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea and the Indian ocean and they accompany very high wind velocity and heavy rainfall and hit the Indian Coastal states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal,Odisha and Gujarat. These states are more vulnerable to tropical cyclones than any other Indian state. These cyclones cause great destruction as they are accompanied with high velocity wind and torrential rainfall.

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Tropical Cyclone NCERT Notes FAQs

This type of cyclone occurs around the equator at 5 degree to 30 degree, but has different names depending on region or where they form. They initially move towards the west direction and slightly towards the poles.

When a tropical cyclone reaches the speed of 74 miles per hour or higher, it is then classified as a hurricane, typhoon, or tropical cyclone, depending upon where the storm originates in the world. So, a hurricane is just a one form tropical cyclone.

The Southern Pacific and the Indian Oceans serve tropical cyclones.

Ignore rumours. Stay calm, do not panic. Do not enter damaged buildings. Watch out for broken electric poles, wires and other sharp objects. Seek a safe shelter as soon as possible.

TROPICAL STORM (TS) - a tropical cyclone with maximum wind speed of 62 to 88 kph or 34 - 47 knots. SEVERE TROPICAL STORM (STS) , a tropical cyclone with maximum wind speed of 89 to 117 kph or 48 - 63 knots. TYPHOON (TY) - a tropical cyclone with maximum wind speed of 118 to 220 kph or 64 - 120 knots.
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