What are the different parts of a cyclone’s structure?

Here’s a handy guide to the terms weathermen use to describe different parts of a cyclone.

As cyclone Vardah wreaks havoc on coastal Tamil Nadu, here’s a handy guide to the terms weathermen use to describe different parts of a cyclone.

The eye

The eye of the storm is the centre. It’s a relatively calm space. When the eye passes over an area, winds slow down and everything feels like it has cleared up. But this is the proverbial calm before the storm, as the part that comes after the eye usually inflicts the most damage.

The eyewall

This is where the most effective part of a cyclone rests. The eyewall houses extremely high wind speeds, causing damage to both lives and property. It is a ring of thunderstorms, and changes in the eye or the eyewall affects the storm’s intensity.

Rainbands

These are the outer parts of a cyclone where sudden bursts of rain happen. There can also be gaps betwen rainbands where no rain or wind occurs.

Hurricane or cyclone?

The only difference between a hurricane, a cyclone and a typhoon is the location in which they occur. Storms in the Atlantic and the Northeast Pacific oceans are known as hurricanes, those in the Northwest Pacific ocean are called typhoons, and the same systems in the South Pacific and Indian oceans are cyclones.