Cyclone

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Cyclone Catarina

Diagram of the United States showing wind rotation patterns in a cyclone and an anticyclone. On the left, arrows circle counterclockwise around a low-pressure center labeled Low to illustrate a cyclone. On the right, arrows circle clockwise around a high-pressure center labeled High to illustrate an anticyclone. The map visually contrasts the opposite wind directions in these two weather systems.

Giant vortices in Jupiter's southern hemisphere, imaged by the Galileo spacecraft on May 7, 1997. The oval on the left is a cyclonic storm system, rotating in a clockwise direction. The oval on the right is an anticyclone, with a counterclockwise rotation.

Map tracing the path of Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 from the Caribbean to its landfall near Atlantic City, New Jersey. The storm's track is marked with points indicating its status and wind speeds at various dates, with colored areas showing regions of heavy rainfall and snowfall in the northeastern United States. An inset map illustrates Sandy's route in relation to a blocking high-pressure system and cold air over North America.

How did Cyclone Pam form and what impact did it have on Vanuatu?

What causes powerful wind squalls?

Cyclone: References & Edit History

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Article History

Type	Description	Contributor	Date
	Article title updated for style.	The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica	Nov 10, 2026
	Modified link of Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - A systematic review of cyclonic disaster: Damage-loss, consequences, adaptation strategies, and future scopes.	Aakanksha Gaur	Sep 11, 2026
	Add new Web site: The University of Hawaiʻi Pressbooks - Atmospheric Processes and Phenomena - Extratropical Cyclones.	Gloria Lotha	Jan 31, 2025
	Add new Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - A systematic review of cyclonic disaster: Damage-loss, consequences, adaptation strategies, and future scopes.	Aakanksha Gaur	Jul 26, 2024
	Add new Web site: Geosciences LibreTexts - Cyclones.	Emily Rodriguez	Nov 16, 2022
	Add new Web site: LiveScience - Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones: Earth's tropical windstorms.	Grace Young	Sep 13, 2016
	Add new Web site: Buzzle.com - What is a Cyclone?	Aakanksha Gaur	May 30, 2014
	Add new Web site: Buzzle.com - Cyclones.	Vivek Abhinav	Dec 05, 2012
	Add new Web site: How Stuff Works - Science - Cyclone.	Vivek Abhinav	Dec 05, 2012
	Add new Web site: Fact Monster - Weather - Cyclone.	Vivek Abhinav	Dec 02, 2012
	Diagram added depicting cyclonic and anticyclonic flow in the Northern Hemisphere.	John P. Rafferty	Jun 26, 2012
	Text added noting that the word "cyclone" may be used to refer to smaller-scale phenomena such as tornadoes and dust devils.	John P. Rafferty	Jun 26, 2012
	Add new Web site: ThinkQuest - Cyclones.	Swati Chopra	Jul 18, 2011
	Media added.	Amy Tikkanen	Aug 19, 2008
	Article revised and updated.	The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica	Nov 07, 2007
	Article revised and updated.	John P. Rafferty	Jun 27, 2007
	Added new Web site: PBS Online - Savage Seas.	Marco Sampaolo	Aug 08, 2006
	Added new Web site: PBS Online - Savage Seas.	Marco Sampaolo	Aug 08, 2006
	Article added to new online database.	The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica	Jul 20, 1998