Tropical Storm

A tropical storm is a stage in the development of a tropical cyclone that occurs shortly before the developing storm system becomes a full-fledged hurricane. Different parts of the world use the word to mean different exact stages in the development of a hurricane or typhoon, which makes pinning down an overall meaning for 'tropical storm' impossible. However, from an American point of view, a tropical storm is the transitional stage between a tropical depression and a hurricane.

A tropical storm begins when the sustained winds reach 39 miles per hour, which is Wind Force 7 on the Beaufort Scale. At this point, the cyclone has become a system of interlocked thunderstorms and usually resembles a hurricane, but has not yet developed the clear 'eye' at the center which is the sign of a fully mature hurricane. A tropical storm is stable enough to be named, since it is unlikely to dissipate without going through the normal tropical cyclone life cycle to the end.

The tropical storm becomes a full hurricane when the sustained winds exceed 74 miles per hour. At this point, the classic eye and eyewall develop, thanks to the huge spiraling updraft and the equally massive downdraft at the center.

If a tropical storm moves onshore without developing into a full hurricane, many of the usual damaging effects of the hurricane are reduced or absent. Storm surges are lower and winds are also lower in the majority of cases, and the main danger is from intense rainfall. Some tropical storms can produce up 18 inches of rain per day when they move onshore, and this can result in severe flooding.

Flooding can be as lethal as any other severe weather, however, and should not be taken lightly. Indeed, many people, knowing that tropical storms are weaker overall than hurricanes, are more careless when their area is being struck by one, and this in turn makes them vulnerable to death by drowning. A tropical storm is indeed not as powerful as a hurricane, but it is still one of the planet's major weather phenomena, and should be treated with the caution and respect it deserves.