Impossible typhoon

2003/04/10 Elhuyar Zientzia

• Klima

The typhoon created in December 2001 around Singapore seems impossible. And the meteorologist surprised them because he was born very close to the equator. In theory, typhoons (or cyclones, or hurricanes) cannot be created near the equator, around equators where the force that moves the hurricane is ‘zero’.

Hurricanes move forces originating from the rotation of the Earth. This force has opposite directions in the northern and southern hemispheres and is annulled around the equator. Therefore, between latitudes 5º N and 5º S do not form hurricanes. But typhoon Vamei was born at latitude 1,3º N and produced a wind of 140 km/h.

Meteorologists have now explained this strange phenomenon. It is said that the impossible storm occurred because several events occurred together and in the right place. In fact, in the days when thunder storms were on the southern sea of China, wet and large monsoon winds were introduced. The strength of these winds was sufficient for centrifugal storms to move without the help of Earth's rotation, and storms and winds survived the time needed for the typhoon to occur. And all this happened in an appropriate place, as the size of the South China sea is enough to create the typhoon.

One cannot know when another of these types will occur, but according to the scientist who has done the research, these conditions will not be repeated in another 100-400 years.