How are tropical cyclones different from mid-latitude storms?
The tropical cyclone is a low-pressure system which derives its energy primarily from evaporation from the sea in the presence of high winds and lowered surface pressure and the associated condensation in convective clouds concentrated near its center (Holland 1993). Mid-latitude storms (low pressure systems with associated cold fronts, warm fronts, and occluded fronts) primarily get their energy from the horizontal temperature gradients that exist in the atmosphere. Structurally, tropical cyclones have their strongest winds near the earth’s surface (a consequence of being “warm-core” in the troposphere), while mid-latitude storms have their strongest winds near the tropopause (a consequence of being “warm-core” in the stratosphere and “cold-core” in the troposphere). “Warm-core” refers to being relatively warmer than the environment at the same pressure surface (“pressure surfaces” are simply another way to measure height or altitude).
