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Knowledge and Skills Statement

Earth and space. The student knows that interactions between Earth, ocean, and weather systems impact climate.

The further explanation is designed to be a resource for educators that helps them better understand the topic their students are learning. Further explanations may be written at a more complex level than would be expected for students at the grade level.

The diagram below shows the structure of and motion within a tropical cyclone.

The diagram below shows how tropical storms form over warm ocean waters.

Glossary terms and definitions are consistent across kindergarten through high school in the TEKS Guide. The definitions are intended to give educators a common understanding of the terms regardless of what grade level they teach. Glossary definitions are not intended for use with students.

a volume of air defined by its temperature and water vapor content; cover many hundreds or thousands of miles

the weather conditions prevailing in an area over multiple decades

a mature tropical cyclone that develops in the Northeast Pacific Ocean east of the dateline, or the North Atlantic Ocean, has winds of 74 miles (119 kilometers) per hour or greater

 horizontal and vertical streams of circulation in ocean waters that are produced by gravity, wind friction, temperature differences, and water density variation in different parts of the ocean; move in predictable patterns around the Earth

an intense circular storm that originates over warm tropical oceans and is characterized by low atmospheric pressure, high winds (74 mph or greater), and heavy rain; hurricane and typhoon are regionally specific names for a strong tropical cyclone

a mature tropical cyclone that develops over the Northwestern Pacific Ocean

patterns of weather that take place in the troposphere, caused by the motion of warm and cool air around Earth

Research

Riddle Bob. “Hurricane Season.” Science Scope 43, no. 2 (2019): 96–99. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26899071

Summary:  "Hurricane Season" explains the processes that develop weather systems, such as hurricanes and tropical cycles.  Details about the convection of air over ocean surfaces and the winds caused by the Coriolis effect are provided to support teacher and student understanding.