(This is why hurricanes hit the east coast of the United States.) Why do tropical cyclones move west? As tropical cyclones (and hurricanes) move westward, they tend to get caught in mid-latitude westerlies and move north, then northeast or east. 5 Why is the impact of tropical cyclones more severe in developing countries? The boundaries between these fast-moving belts are incredibly active storm regions. This is because tropical cyclones develop over warm sea waters and follow trade winds that blow westward. "Hurricanes almost always form over ocean water warmer than about 80 degrees F. in a belt of generally east-to-west flow called the trade winds. But in the Pacific, off the West Coast of the U.S., storms spin east to Asia where they form tropical cyclones. Almost all tropical cyclones form over regions more than 5 degrees of latitude away from the Equator and very few occur near the Equator. Major Hurricane: A tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of 111 mph (96 knots) or higher, corresponding to a Category 3, 4 or 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. What happens to cyclones when they travel further away from the equator? Tropical cyclones across the globe, except Atlantic hurricanes, are moving closer to land in recent decades, a new study found.Tropical cyclones generally have been moving … 3 Why do these cyclones move from east to west? Actually, tropical cyclones (hurricanes for example) tend to move westward even in the tropics, although there are quite a few exceptions. Midlatitude cyclones are the cause of most of the stormy weather in the United States, especially during the winter season. Mid Latitude Cyclones are the main cause for most of the damaging winds here in the Pacific NW. Tropical cyclones move towards the west because of the easterly winds near the equator. Weather systems can really move in any direction. 4 Why do tropical cyclones weaken as they move over Madagascar. When cyclones travel further away form the equator, their path may start to curve to the east as they get caught in the mid-latitude westerlies. Tropical cyclones forming between 5 and 30 degrees North latitude typically move toward the west. 2 Explain the point of origin of both hurricanes and tropical cyclones on the map. Often times tropical cyclones (tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes) travel from east to west. Mid Latitude Cyclones don't just form over the East Coast they also form over the West Coast. The divisions between winds that blow mostly to the east and those that blow mostly to the west create clear horizontal divisions, called belts, among the planet’s clouds. In the Atlantic Ocean, this is due to a large area of high pressure near the Azores Islands and another near Bermuda. 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