Thornthwaite’s climatic classification is more complex and empirical compared to Köppen’s, incorporating evaporation, precipitation efficiency, and potential evapotranspiration (PE) to define climate types. Thornthwaite’s Climatic Classification: A Hydrological Perspective Thornthwaite’s approach introduced a new way of classifying climate, focusing not only on temperature and precipitation but also on evaporation and water balance, making it particularly…
Imagine standing at the equator, where the air is thick with humidity and the forests are lush and green. Now, picture yourself traveling poleward—gradually, the landscape shifts. The dense forests give way to savannas, then to temperate woodlands, followed by cold taigas, and finally, barren icy deserts. This journey across the Earth’s latitudes highlights a…
Suppose you are embarking on a journey across the planet, moving from the lush Amazon rainforest to the icy deserts of Antarctica. As you traverse these diverse landscapes, you’ll notice a striking pattern—each region has a unique climate that influences its vegetation, wildlife, and even human settlements. To make sense of this vast diversity, climatologists…
Imagine standing in an open field when the sky turns an eerie shade of green. Dark clouds swirl above, and suddenly, a towering column of spinning wind descends from the heavens, touching the ground with destructive force—a tornado is born! Tornadoes are among the most violent weather phenomena on Earth. Their winds can exceed 500…
General Characteristics Imagine a hot summer afternoon. The ground is burning, the air feels heavy, and suddenly you see tall, black clouds building up in the sky. Within a short while, rain pours down furiously, thunder roars, and lightning flashes. This is what we call a thunderstorm. Technically, a thunderstorm is a local storm that…
Let’s say you are standing in the cold, quiet landscape of North India on a winter morning. The sky is clear, the air crisp, and the fields of wheat stand tall, awaiting their lifeline—rain. But unlike the dramatic monsoon showers that arrive with fanfare, this winter rain comes stealthily, carried by an invisible hand from…
At first glance, both tropical and temperate cyclones appear similar — low-pressure systems with strong winds and rainfall.But their origin, structure, dynamics, and impacts are very different. Tropical vs Temperate Cyclones 1. Origin 👉 Think of tropical cyclones as “heat engines” and temperate cyclones as “battlefields of air masses.” 2. Latitude Range 3. Frontal System…
Earlier, tropical storms were identified in random ways — by places, objects, or even feast days of saints. But this caused confusion in communication and disaster warnings. 👉 The first systematic step came from Clement Wragg, a Queensland Government Meteorologist (Australia), who used personal names for cyclones between 1887–1907. Today, naming is a formal, scientific,…
General Characteristics When we talk about cyclones, we usually divide them into two big categories: Here, we focus on tropical cyclones. Unlike their temperate counterparts, they are not uniform or regular. Their size, shape, intensity, and impact differ greatly. But still, some general characteristics help us identify them. Let’s go through these one by one….
When we hear the word cyclone, we often imagine massive storms near the equator like hurricanes or typhoons. But in reality, the cyclones that dominate the weather of Europe, North America, and much of Asia are not tropical—they are called temperate cyclones. These are also known as: Basic Nature 👉 In short: Temperate cyclones are…
