Weather Systems

Equatorial Climate

 Hot and wet all year round (humid climate)

 Annual rainfall high and it rains almost everyday.
 Temperaatures are constant all year round
 There are no seasons

Tropical Marine Climate

 The weather is hot all year.

 Rainfall varies from one area to the next. Some areas receive large amount of
rainfall while some areas receive low rainfall.
 Rainfall affects the type of flora and fauna.
Inter-tropical Convergence Zone

The Intertropical Convergence Zone, or ITCZ, is the region that circles the Earth, near the
equator, where the trade winds of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres come together.
The intense sun and warm water of the equator heats the air in the ITCZ, raising its humidity
and making it buoyant(able to float or rise). Aided by the convergence of the trade winds, the
buoyant air rises. As the air rises it expands and cools, releasing the accumulated moisture in
an almost perpetual series of thunderstorms.

Tropical Waves

A tropical wave is a type of trough or an elongated area of relatively lower air pressure that is
typically oriented north to south. It moves east to west across the tropical easterlies. Tropical
waves are also called African Easterly Waves or Tropical Easterly Waves.

Tropical Waves can be significant rainfall producers in the tropics, with heavy convection
(thunderstorms) usually on the east side of the wave axis and generally clear weather on the
west side of the axis. Generally, these waves are inverted troughs of low pressure, seen as an
inverted v-pattern in satellite imagery. As the tropical wave passes the area becomes unstable,
clouds form, heavy rainfall, and thunderstorm.
Hurricane.

Hurricanes are powerhouse weather events that suck heat from tropical waters to fuel their
fury. These violent storms form over the ocean, often beginning as a tropical wave—a low
pressure area that moves through the moisture-rich tropics, possibly enhancing shower and
thunderstorm activity.

As this weather system moves westward across the tropics, warm ocean air rises into the
storm, forming an area of low pressure underneath. This causes more air to rush in. The air
then rises and cools, forming clouds and thunderstorms. Up in the clouds, water condenses
and forms droplets, releasing even more heat to power the storm.

Cold Fronts
Cold fronts affect the Caribbean region (especially the northern part of the region) during the
northern hemisphere winter. During this period, cold air from North America moves into the
Caribbean. There is a well-defined boundary where this cold, dry air meets the warm, moist
air of the Caribbean. The cold air is denser and heavier and so it pushes its way beneath the
warm air. The warm air, which is lighter and less dense than the cold air, is forced to rise.
There are strong updraughts and tall cumulonimbus clouds are formed. There is often heavy
rain and thunderstorms.

Class Activity.

Please answer the following question.

1. What are the weather conditions associated with each weather system?