十万个为什么·科学阅读30篇（2）

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为什么北半球的飓风呈逆时针旋转？

Hurricanes spin due to the Coriolis effect — a deflection caused by Earth’s rotation beneath moving air.
In the Northern Hemisphere, winds flowing toward a low-pressure center curve right, creating counterclockwise rotation.
The opposite happens south of the equator, where storms spin clockwise due to leftward deflection.
Near the equator, the Coriolis force is too weak to organize storms, so hurricanes rarely form within 5° latitude.
Warm ocean water fuels the storm by evaporating and rising, releasing latent heat as it condenses.
This heat powers convection, lowering central pressure and pulling in more moist air at the surface.
Wind shear — changes in wind speed or direction with height — can tear storms apart or weaken them.
Satellites track cloud motion and sea-surface temperatures to predict hurricane paths and intensities.
Understanding rotation helps forecast landfall zones and prepares coastal communities for extreme weather.
It also reminds us how planetary motion shapes local weather, linking Earth’s spin to human safety.