The cyclones around Antarctica, in the Southern Hemisphere, spin in a clockwise direction. Cyclones in the Northern Hemisphere spin in a counterclockwise direction

Storm Eyes

The reason why storms spin in different directions on different sides of the equator is sort of complicated. It has to do with the rotation of the earth. A scientist named Coreolis described how it works and it is called the Coreolis Effect.

I took this picture high above the ocean, looking down through the window of a C130 Hercules airplane, as we drew near the coast of Antarctica. The white stuff you see is not a cloud pattern. It is pieces of sea ice, each about the size of a house. The swirling pattern was formed when the surface of the ocean was stirred by a cyclonic storm. Which way was it spinning? Clockwise.

Previous Page.......................Next Page