Question map
Which one of the areas marked as A, B, C and D in the given figure of the cyclone, witnesses heavy torrential short-duration rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms ?
Explanation
The eyewall—the circular ring immediately surrounding the eye—is the most violent part of a tropical cyclone and contains deep convection and the heaviest precipitation, producing intense, short-duration torrential rainfall with embedded thunderstorms [1]. Official meteorological descriptions likewise characterize the eyewall as a ring of tall thunderstorms that produce heavy rains and the strongest winds in the storm [2]. While spiral rainbands also contain cumulonimbus cells and can produce intense convective bursts and squalls, the maximum sustained winds and the heaviest, most concentrated torrential rainfall occur in the eyewall region adjacent to the eye [3]. Therefore the area corresponding to the eyewall (option B) witnesses the described rainfall and thunderstorms.
Sources
- [1] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 26: Tropical Cyclones > Characteristics of Eyewall > p. 366
- [2] https://www.noaa.gov/jetstream/tropical/tropical-cyclone-introduction/tropical-cyclone-structure
- [3] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 26: Tropical Cyclones > Rain Bands (Spiral Bands) > p. 367