All hurricanes in the northern hemisphere rotate counterclockwise, while hurricanes in the southern hemisphere rotate clockwise. To be technical, hurricanes in the southern hemisphere are not called hurricanes, they are called cyclones. So it’s more accurate to say that all hurricanes rotate counterclockwise and all cyclones rotate clockwise!
In fact, tropical cyclones — the general name for the storms called typhoons, hurricanes or cyclones in different parts of the world — always spin counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, and spin in the opposite direction in the Southern Hemisphere.
Yes, all “Hurricanes” spin counter clockwise, because the name for tropical cyclones that are called by the name “Hurricanes” are only in the North Atlantic and North East Pacific.. But other tropical Cyclones in the southern hemisphere will spin clockwise, but they are called “Cyclones” and not hurricanes.
Hurricanes grow out of a central region of low air pressure. The low air pressure attracts high air pressure from outside. As the outside air flows towards the center, the Coriolis effect curves it into a counterclockwise rotation. The result is the exact opposite in the Southern hemisphere and that’s why hurricanes spin clockwise there.
Another frequently asked question is “Why do Hurricanes always rotate counter clockwise?”.
The most usefull answer is; hurricanes spin counterclockwise (like all low pressure centers in the northern hemisphere) because of the Coriolis Effect. Because the equator rotates faster than other areas of the Earth’s surface, anything moving in a straight line on a North to South axis will eventually curve.
Here’s why all hurricanes spin counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere. Hurricanes and tropical storms that hit North America or any place in the northern hemisphere spin counterclockwise. All cyclones and tropical storms in the southern hemisphere spin clockwise. The direction of a hurricane’s spin is caused by a phenomenon called the Coriolis effect .. Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
So, why do Hurricanes rotate counterclockwise?
You see, Thanks to the Coriolis Effect’s impact on air and water, the movement happens in a curved direction; the north goes to the right and the south goes to the left. This is why hurricanes rotate counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere and cyclones in the southern hemisphere rotate clockwise.
Which way does the Wind Spin in a hurricane?
Air moving northward on the east side of a hurricane acquires clockwise spin; air moving southward west of the storm acquires counter clockwise spin.
Why do Hurricanes spin differently in the northern and southern hemispheres?
As Earth travels from West to East, air moving from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere gets pushed to the right, causing hurricanes originating in the Northern hemisphere to spin in the counter-clockwise direction.
What would happen if two hurricanes are coming from opposite directions?
Suppose two hurricanes A and B of the same power are coming from opposite directions. A is moving in a clockwise direction and B is moving counter-clockwise. What would happen? This can’t happen, because Hurricanes in the same hemisphere rotate in the same direction. Northern Hemisphere Hurricanes ALWAYS rotate counterclockwise.