Go Back
Tropical Storm Arlene continues to churn over the Gulf of Mexico. Click to see where it is headed. Chevron right

Ashburn, VA

70°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Ashburn

Virginia

70°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Ashburn, VA Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

Video

Podcasts

Winter Center

Top Stories AccuWeather Early AccuWeather Prime Astronomy Climate Travel Health Recreation Business Sports

News / Weather News

What is wind shear and how does it impact hurricanes, other tropical cyclones?

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

Copied

Wind shear can make or break a single tropical storm and can have long-term impacts on a tropical season. But, what exactly is wind shear and why is it so important in forecasting hurricanes and other tropical cyclones?

Tropical cyclones (tropical storms, hurricanes, typhoons, etc.) are large warm storms that generally occupy the lower part of the atmosphere and form in the tropics.

There are two forms of wind shear in the atmosphere. One is in the vertical and the other is the horizontal.

Vertical wind shear is the most influential as far as tropical cyclones are concerned

Vertical wind shear is the change in direction and speed of winds at increasing heights in the atmosphere.

nadine crop

This image of Tropical Storm Nadine was taken on Oct. 12, 2018, as the storm was experiencing strong vertical wind shear. Nadine appeared devoid of rainfall except in the northeastern quadrant. Clouds around the center appeared as a wispy swirl. (Earth Observing System Data and Information System [EOSDIS]/NOAA)

When strong vertical wind shear is present, the top of a tropical storm or hurricane can be blown hundreds of miles downstream.

In this case, the storm can become very lopsided or tilted in the vertical and begin to unwind as dry air is drawn in and/or the flow of warm, moist air into the entire storm is disrupted.

Wind Shear

Strong wind shear can occur when the jet stream extends over tropical waters and creates a zone of rapidly increasing wind speed at progressively higher levels of the atmosphere.

During a typical El Niño there is often a strong jet stream over eastern North America and even over the western part of the Atlantic basin. This configuration, just like dry, dusty air and a chilly sea surface, can greatly inhibit tropical development and reduce the numbers of tropical cyclones for a season if it persists.

However, the configuration of the jet stream, or lack thereof over the eastern Pacific, often helps to boost the numbers of tropical cyclones in that basin.

RELATED:

AccuWeather’s 2019 Atlantic hurricane season forecast
What is El Niño?
AccuWeather’s new RealImpact™ Scale for Hurricanes will revolutionize damage predictions for greater public safety

Vertical wind shear is also a major player in severe thunderstorm and tornado development.

The less-talked about wind shear

Horizontal wind shear is the change in direction or speed of winds over the surface of the ocean.

When a storm encounters strong horizontal wind shear, the storm can be whisked away or shredded by strong uni-directional winds.

An example of strong horizontal wind shear may be along the Atlantic coast of the United States with the approach of a strong cold front or blast of colder air. In this case, strong southerly winds ahead of the front are followed by strong west to northwest winds in the front's wake.

Wind shear may not always cause a tropical cyclone to weaken

In some rare cases, wind shear in low to moderate amounts can cause a tropical cyclone to strengthen.

Wind shear can push a tropical cyclone into warmer waters, which are more favorable for development.

Just like a sport-tuned exhaust system can give the motor on an automobile more horsepower, wind shear can also vent the tropical cyclone just enough to allow it to strengthen.

Increasing winds blowing from the same direction as the circulation around a tropical cyclone can cause the storm to spin faster and strengthen.

Areas of wind shear can be difficult to spot

Forecasting areas and intensity of wind shear can be more challenging than forecasting the strength and movement of a tropical cyclone itself.

This is because wind shear, like the rest of the atmosphere, is constantly changing, may not be easily detected and rarely remains completely stationary.

Tropical cyclones are a fragile beast

As strong as tropical cyclones can become, they are rather delicate phenomena.

Tropical cyclones generally need a tranquil environment to first form, maintain strength and/or continue to strengthen.

Tropical cyclones are born from a broad area of rising warm air that creates low atmospheric pressure.

As this continues, the mass or rising air begins to rotate faster and faster.

The more the air rises, the lower the pressure and the faster the air tries to rush in to replace it, which creates the high winds.

While some tropical cyclones can form and strengthen despite moderate wind shear, such storms are often torn apart by it or never get a chance to develop in the first place.

Download the free AccuWeather app for the forecast for your local area and your travel destinations.

Podcast banner for news stories
Report a Typo

Weather News

video

Firefighters battle blaze in New Jersey state forest

Jun. 1, 2023
Astronomy

June’s short nights to bring plenty of stargazing opportunities

May 31, 2023
video

Powerful tornado rips apart buildings, sends cars flying in northern C...

Jun. 1, 2023
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

Top Stories

AccuWeather Early

AccuWeather Prime

Astronomy

Climate

Travel

Health

Recreation

Business

Sports

Top Stories

Hurricane

Tropical Storm Arlene to provide glancing blow to Florida

1 hour ago

Weather Forecasts

Cool air to rush across Northeast in wake of record-breaking heat

1 hour ago

Business

Arizona announces limits on construction in Phoenix area

20 hours ago

Live Blog

AccuWeather meteorologists photograph 'fire rainbow'

LATEST ENTRY

'Fire rainbow' appears at AccuWeather headquarters

17 hours ago

Hurricane

AccuWeather's 2023 Atlantic hurricane season forecast

1 day ago

More Stories

Featured Topic

Your Local Asthma Forecast

Featured Stories

Astronomy

Alien-like message sent to Earth in test to prepare for the real thing

22 hours ago

Live Blog

Astronomy news: Feather-shaped cloud shimmers in Mars sky

LATEST ENTRY

‘Sun rays’ amaze scientists studying Martian weather

17 hours ago

Sports

Dramatic rescue caught on camera after woman falls into raging rapids

15 hours ago

AccuWeather Weather News What is wind shear and how does it impact hurricanes, other tropical cyclones?
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect Podcast RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect Podcast RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2023 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Do Not Sell My Data checkmark Confirmed Not Selling Your Data

We have updated our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

I Understand

Get AccuWeather alerts as they happen with our browser notifications.

Notifications Enabled

Thanks! We’ll keep you informed.

FEEDBACK