why do hurricanes tend to move westward in the subtropics? ...

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Question by julie
Submitted on 1/20/2004
Related FAQ: FAQ: HURRICANES, TYPHOONS AND TROPICAL CYCLONES (Part 1 of 2)
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why do hurricanes tend to move westward in the subtropics?

Answer by David
Submitted on 6/10/2004
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Actually, tropical cyclones (hurricanes for example) tend to move westward even in the tropics, although there are quite a few exceptions. In the Atlantic Ocean, this is due to a large area of high pressure near the Azores Islands and another near Bermuda. Together, these high pressure areas basically govern the movement of Atlantic hurricanes. The clockwise flow around high pressure makes for a westerly motion for all storms, especially those in the subtropics, closer to the high pressure areas. In each ocean of the world that has tropical cyclones, a different high pressure or low pressure area governs the movement of most of the tropical cyclones.

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