Why do storms come off the coast of Africa?

Because of the circulation of the atmosphere over this part of Africa the wind tends to blow from east to west. The flow of the air essentially gives the showers and storms over Africa a ride, directing them westward toward the Atlantic Ocean.

What causes hurricanes to turn north?

The clockwise rotation (in the Northern Hemisphere) of air associated with high-pressure systems often cause hurricanes to stray from their initially east-to-west movement and curve northward.

How do tropical waves form in Africa?

This happens when the hot dry air from the Saharan Desert mixes with the cooler moist air from the rainforests to form a band of strong wind called the African Easterly Jet. This pushes these waves into the Atlantic.

Why do hurricanes form off Cape Verde?

The average Atlantic hurricane season has about two Cape Verde hurricanes, which are often the largest and most intense storms of the season due to having plenty of warm open ocean over which to develop before encountering land or other factors prompting weakening.

What caused the Sahara dust storm?

Typically, the dust storms are driven by warm, moist air from monsoons on the southern edge of the Sahara that blows to the north. That triggered 4 days of record-strong winds that blew from the northeast, sweeping up vast amounts of dust and lifting it up to 6 kilometers into the air.

What causes hurricanes to turn?

For one to form, there needs to be warm ocean water and moist, humid air in the region. When humid air is flowing upward at a zone of low pressure over warm ocean water, the water is released from the air as creating the clouds of the storm. As it rises, the air in a hurricane rotates.

What causes hurricanes to change direction?

Hurricanes are steered by global winds. These winds, called trade winds, blow from east to west in the tropics. Because the westerlies move in the opposite direction from trade winds, the hurricane can reverse direction and move east as it travels north. High pressure systems can also affect the path of storms.

What causes the most hurricane related deaths?

Storm Surge: The Deadliest Threat Roughly half of all U.S. deaths from tropical cyclones are due to the storm surge, the rise in water levels from the tropical cyclone’s winds piling water toward the coast just before and during landfall. Storm surge is not simply a function of the maximum winds.

How does a hurricane form off Africa?

They form near the equator over warm ocean waters. In the case of hurricanes that form in the Atlantic Ocean, the wind blowing westward across the Atlantic from Africa provides the necessary ingredient. As the wind passes over the ocean’s surface, water evaporates (turns into water vapor) and rises.

How do humans cause dust storms?

Humans are the main cause of an increasing amount of dust in the atmosphere. As farming, grazing, and other development in places such as the Horn of Africa or the U.S. Southwest spread deeper into arid regions, vegetation is destroyed, exposing the soil to wind erosion.

What is Sahara dust made of?

Saharan dust is a mixture of sand and dust from the Sahara, the vast desert area that covers most of North Africa.