Twin cyclones form in the Indian ocean

Whilst taking a look at what the weather is doing around the world today, I came across twin cyclones that have formed in the Indian ocean.

Interestingly, one has formed either side of the equator. What’s interesting about this I hear you ask? Well, each tropical cyclone is spinning in the opposite direction to the other.

North of the equator, Tropical Cyclone One is spinning anti-clockwise, whilst south of the equator, Tropical Cyclone Jamala is spinning clockwise.

This is due to the Coriolis force – the motion of the earth’s spin, that deflects winds to the right north of the equator and to the left south of the equator.

Tropical Cyclone One

Whilst there is still some uncertainty on this storm’s path, the latest prediction from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center suggests that it will strengthen over the next five days and reach northern Burma early next week.

On making landfall, this storm would bring a significant risk of heavy rain, flooding and damaging winds, with neighbouring Bangladesh feeling its effect too.

Tropical Cyclone Jamala

This storm is going to strengthen over the coming days, but it will stay over open water and poses no threat to land in the foreseeable future.

I’ll be keeping an eye on the track of these storms in the coming days and will update you on their progress here on my blog and on Twitter – @liamdutton