Severe Weather in Australia

If you do not already know what tornadoes are, tornadoes are basically wind. It is a rapidly rotating narrow region of low pressure. Its wind speeds can range from 70-300 mph. When a tornado first starts, it begins with rotating body of air on the ground. This happens because of vertical wind shear. The horizontal rotating air is then lifted off the ground by updraft of a thunderstorm. Once it is rotated nearly vertically, it is considered a mesocyclone. The mesocyclone is then fully developed in the updraft of a thunderstorm. 

In the United States, tornadoes are most common towards the center east of the country. Tornadoes in the US travel from southwest to northeast or west to east. This is because of an increased frequency of certain tornado-producing weather patterns (hurricanes in south Texas, or northwest flow weather system in the upper midwest).

Tornadoes in Australia are very rare with only 10-20 tornadoes being observed annually but also has the chance to form with almost any severe thunderstorm. Some areas though however, are more prone to tornadoes than other places. 

Tornado counts in America average to about over 1000 tornadoes per year. American has the highest amount of tornadoes annually than any other country in the world. 

U.S. Tornado Climatology

While tornadoes are rare in Australia, the country has not yet developed a map or statistic showing the history of tornadoes and their common occurrence. 

Within the past 30 years, the amount of tornadoes have increased significantly. The cause of this is probably because of the continued change 

Hurricanes can form anywhere. But the location of where hurricanes form must have these 3 key ingredients. The ingredients are warm ocean temperature that is deep, presence of coriolis force, and low values of vertical wind sheer. The city of Sydney, Australia rarely ever experiences hurricanes. This is because the southern hemisphere does not experience hurricanes very often. Climate is very calm. However, cyclones are common in the tropical and sub-tropical waters of Australia. 

Hurricane formation regions occur mostly near the equator and head from East to West. Cyclones happen below the equator while hurricanes happen above the equator. It happens near the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn. 

In the United States, hurricanes move in the direction from east, the moves slightly in the northwest direction. Majority of hurricanes hit the East Coast of the United States but rarely on the West Coast. This is because of the hurricane formation region. 

Hurricanes rarely every happen in Australia. Especially Sydney, hurricanes are so rare the count is about 1 or 2 hurricanes every other passing year. 

There is an average of about 10 tropical storm that form and hit the United States annually. 

Hurricanes