Members: ______________________ ______________________ Date: _______________

______________________ ______________________ Section: ____________

Activity 2.5
Dissecting a Tropical Cyclone
Objectives:

1. To explain what two weather factors tell weathermen that a certain location is at the eye of a tropical
cyclone; and
2. put in simple words the statement “calm before the storm.”

Materials Needed:
weather data (air pressure and wind speed)
Procedure:

1. Figure 1 consists of two illustrations. The top one shows a tropical cyclone as seen at an angle. White
rain bands move around the center or “eye”. The bottom illustration shows a cross-section of a tropical
cyclone. It is like slicing it in half and looking at it from the side.

Figure 4.

2. Location A is within the eye of the tropical cyclone. B, C and D are locations that are more and more
distant from the eye. The air pressure at the different locations are:

Compare the air pressures at A, B, C and D. What do you notice?

________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Location E is within the eye of the tropical cyclone. Location F is within the clouds surrounding the eye.
The clouds at F make up the eyewall. The wind speed at the two locations are:

Compare the wind speed within the eye and at the eyewall. What can you say?

________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________