Dr. Czarnetzki Chapter 11 Review Questions 2. The speed of the air moving toward the center of the hurricane will increase. The law of conservation of angular momentum explains the increased wind speed. Hurricanes that affect North America most often develop in the late summer when ocean waters have reached temperatures of 27oC or higher and are thus capable of providing the necessary heat and moisture to the air.
Tropical storms have stronger winds than tropical depressions.
The most important reason for this rapid demise is the fact that the storm's source of warm, moist air is cut off. When an adequate supply of water vapor does not exist, condensation and the release of latent heat must diminish. In addition, because the land is usually cooler than the ocean, the low-level air is chilled rather than warmed. Moreover, the increased surface roughness over land results in a rapid reduction in surface wind speeds. This factor causes the winds to move more directly into the center of the low, thus helping to eliminate the large pressure differences.