Why do some tropical storms spin in opposite directions in different hemispheres?
Quick Answer
Earth’s rotation creates the Coriolis effect, which deflects moving air to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. That is why storms rotate counterclockwise north of the equator and clockwise south of it.
The Full Story
Tropical storms draw in air toward a low-pressure center, but Earth’s rotation bends that moving air. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Coriolis effect makes large-scale winds curve right, leading to counterclockwise spin around lows; the opposite happens in the Southern Hemisphere. This effect is too weak to control the direction of water going down a sink, but it strongly influences weather systems spanning hundreds of kilometers. Near the equator, the Coriolis effect is very small, which is one reason true tropical cyclones rarely form there.
Key Facts
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